Doing the Right Thing
by Ada C. Eliana
Summary: In response to dlsky's challenge. Slade and Robin have always been at odds, but when they're trapped together, the only people they can trust are each other. But can Slade really do the right thing?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This fic is entirely in response to a challenge made by dlsky. The challenge is to write a fic where Slade is nice! Well, I kicked around a few ideas, and finally settled on this one. The character trait I'm aiming for here will be revealed gradually, so don't expect many tear-jerking monologues from Slade in this chapter. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy, and that I've set up an interesting story in my first chapter.

For safety, seeing as mid-terms are beginning soon, I'll plan to update every three Sundays.

So, enjoy and be sure to slip me a review.

Disclaimer: I in no claim to own any of the characters portrayed in this story. I do however, stake claim to the plot and the fic itself.

**

* * *

****Doing the Right Thing**

By: Sarah Shima

Chapter 1: Why Today?

* * *

Robin raced through the building, his bo staff out, and eyes searching for the thieves. Why was he not surprised to see a few dozen Slade-bots standing in the room?

"Damn," he muttered under his breath as he saw the criminal himself slipping through a blasted-open door at the other end of the room. The Slade-bots turned their attention to the vigilante, and let loose their attack.

Robin was not in the mood today.

He was the only one to respond to the call, Starfire and Raven were shopping, (and spending god-knows-how-much of his money) and in that mall their communicators do not always get a signal. Cyborg and Beast Boy had gone off for the weekend to have some fun.

That left him to deal with this.

And it just had to be Slade.

He brought his staff down on one Slade-bot, and then kicked off it, flipping backwards. He somersaulted once in the air and then landed on the next Slade-bot, kicking it into another. He landed on the ground, just in time to sweep his staff under the legs of two of the robots. He leapt into the air, landing on the shoulders of a robot. He hooked his ankles around the head-piece, and then twisted sideways, breaking it off. He kicked off the robot, and smashed his legs into another one, bringing it down on two others. He continued in kind, moving as quickly as he could, all the while straining his neck in hopes of glimpsing Slade in the next room.

When the last robot was smoking in pieces on the ground, Robin ran towards the room Slade was in.

He saw the criminal facing a case of experimental devices. Robin skulked in, not wishing Slade to notice him, though Robin did not know how much of the skirmish in the hall he may have witnessed. He paused behind a large cylindrical device. It took up the entire center of the room and was about four feet in diameter. Power coils spun through the floor and into the lower levels. A glass covered portion of the chamber five feet above the floor, gave view to the center, which contained a sort of glowing, ethereal liquid. Robin peered around the machine at Slade, waiting for the right moment. He was preparing an attack when Slade's voice stopped him.

"Robin," he announced, turning around. Robin slipped behind the machine again, keeping location to his advantage. "Why are you hiding? Where are all of your little friends?" Slade questioned.

His voice was becoming closer, along with the steady footfalls. Robin reached into his belt and pulled out two birdarangs. "Come out little Robin," Slade called. "Come out!"

"If you insist!" Robin shouted as he jumped out from behind the machine and launched his attack. Slade had anticipated the move, and so blocked all of the swings he made with his bo staff. Robin knocked his feet into Slade's chest and vaulted himself backwards. He somersaulted once in the air, and mid-flip, he threw an exploding birdarang at the villain. Slade knocked the birdarang out of the air with his own bo staff, and it collided with the cylindrical device beside them. Robin pulled his cape up to shield himself from the explosion. It seemed to have not affected the outer device at all, but the liquid in it began to destabilize.

Now Slade was on the offensive. He launched a roundhouse kick at Robin's head, which the young hero ducked to avoid. Slade landed on his feet and leapt at Robin, staff aimed for Robin's throat. Robin stopped the staff with his own, holding it suspended over his shoulder. Slade took advantage of his position, and swung the staff downward. Robin's momentum was used against him as he fell forward, and Slade's staff connected with his knee. Robin fell, teeth clenched in pain. At the same time he swung his staff at Slade's feet, knocking him over.

They both jumped to their feet, and continued the routine of attacking and defending. Slade managed to back Robin into the wall, landing a solid blow to his side. Robin aimed a kick at Slade's legs, and caused him to lose his balance just long enough for Robin to get away from him.

The fight continued to intensify as both parties refused to give the other the advantage. Behind them the liquid boiled and bubbled in the chamber. Robin dodged, and attacked, while Slade attacked with his staff and defended. For the moment they were evenly matched. However, Slade was bound to gain the upper hand.

And he did.

With a strong kick, he threw the Boy Wonder across the room. Robin, still clutching his bo staff, careened into the machine in the center of the room. His back struck the controls, and the bo staff connected with the glass chamber in a shattering of glass.

Robin regained his footing long enough to see the liquid now released from the inner chamber expand into a brilliant mass of gold. It suddenly shrunk in size as if imploding, and then expanded outwards once again.

The explosion overwhelmed Robin and Slade in a brilliant flash of light. The pair of fighters were thrown back from the device, their bodies hitting the walls and then sinking to the floor with a sickening thud. As Robin lost consciousness, he thought he saw a sort of blackness form in the epicenter of the explosion.

* * *

Slade awoke slowly. He was face-down on the floor of the lab, and could only vaguely recall how he had ended up there. A piece of metal was lying on his back. He easily pushed it off, and then slid to his knees, taking note of how dusty the floor was beneath him. He turned and glanced to his side, and saw Robin lying a few feet away. The boy stirred, slowly pulling himself to his knees as well. He glanced suspiciously at Slade, as if expecting him to attack at any moment. Slade however, had bigger things to worry about than a teenaged vigilante.

The lab was in ruins, and if Slade was seeing correctly, it was not just the lab. Through a broken window, he viewed the city, and was not pleased with what he saw. As Robin rose to his feet, Slade did the same. The two instinctively backed towards the machine that had exploded, staring around at the ruins.

The building looked as if a bomb had gone off in it, and Robin and Slade stood in the epicenter. Robin did not look twice at Slade as he hurried out of the room, searching for people who may have been injured, and hoping to escape the fumes and smoke. Slade was right on his heels, which was disconcerting for the young hero, but then again, maybe he knew something Robin did not.

As Robin entered the remains of the halls, he found them to be covered old grime and dust. Shaking off his confusion – the walls had been perfectly clean when he came in – he continued towards the exit.

He pushed the large metal door, which was hanging off its hinges, but still partially latched in place (funny, he never closed it when he came in), and stepped out into the sunlight.

He would never forget what he saw.

The city was in complete ruins. Buildings half-destroyed stood crookedly on the ground. Homes has been wiped out, cars lay haphazardly as if they had been abandoned. Plumes of smoke rose from decaying structures, and flames licked at the ground, the buildings, and the sky. The sky was dark with hanging ash and soot.

Robin stumbled forward onto the uneven concrete, disbelieving in all that he saw. A harsh wind blew by, bringing with it scraps of metal, stones, and other debris.

He was standing in the tech sector of Jump City. There should be skyscrapers, labs, office buildings, roads, alleys, traffic, and _people._ Instead, he was in a barren wasteland, devoid of life. Crumbled buildings surrounded him, and the rest was just _nothing. _The city was everyone's vision of the end of the world.

But he had been there at the end of the world, and this was not what it looked like.

What the Hell was going on?

He continued on his journey into the city, vaguely registering the sound of Slade's cautious footsteps following him.

As he entered the residential section, the first thing he noticed was the stench. The smell of death and rotting flesh consumed the entire area. Robin screwed up his face as he ventured further. He walked by homes that were on fire, and witnessed the sight of the decaying corpses. They were everywhere, the remains of mothers, fathers, and children, their bodies half covered in rubble, expressions of panic and fear forever on their faces.

Robin had seen death before; it was no stranger to him. He had witnessed the death of both of his parents when he was a child. But something about the absolute carnage before his eyes made him sick to his stomach. He turned away from the remains, only to find more. Corpses lined the road, death permeated the whole area. All of these people killed. Who knew how much they may have suffered?

He closed his eyes, but the images would not go away. His knees gave way and he collapsed to the ground. He reached forward to steady himself, and felt his hand on something soft. His fingers sunk through it and then reached something solid. He opened his eyes, and saw that his hand was half-submerged in the rotting flesh of a dead child.

He scrambled backward, tripping over his feet as he did. He turned to his side, and retched.

As he regained control of himself, a shadow passed over him. He looked up to see Slade coldly surveying the scene. "What happened here?" Robin whispered, his struggle to keep his composure waning. "It looks like a… a war zone," he added.

"You have no idea how right you are," Slade responded.

"All of this could not have occurred since we were in the labs," Slade said, his voice still chillingly normal. They might have been discussing the weather for all the emotional inflection in Slade's tone.

"You're right," Robin said, standing shakily. He reflected back on the emotional control he learned from Batman, and distanced himself from the scene. It was just another crime to investigate, it could not be personal. "The bodies are already decomposing. There's no way we were out that long."

"Which begs the question: Where are we?"

* * *

A/N: Very astute question Slade, where are you two? Who knows? So, I know,strange first chapter, but what did you think?

_See youin three weeks,_

_Sarah Shima_


	2. Where Are We?

A/N: I think this update is a week early, I'm not very good at keeping track of that sort of thing, but it was done, so here you are.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys it.

* * *

**Doing the Right Thing**

By: Sarah Shima

**Chapter 2: Where Are We?**

* * *

"You're right," Robin said, standing shakily. He reflected back on the emotional control he learned from Batman, and distanced himself from the scene. It was just another crime to investigate, it could not be personal. "The bodies are already decomposing. There's no way we were out that long."

"Which begs the question: Where are we?" Slade asked.

Robin did not have an answer for him.

"Well… we're still in Jump City. But… this is not the Jump City we were in ten minutes ago," Robin responded uncertainly as he pulled himself to his feet. He surveyed the scene with an eerie detachment; a detachment Slade noted as he watched Robin. He then turned to Slade. "That machine that went off… do you have any idea what it does?"

Slade regarded Robin silently for a moment. He had a good idea of what the machine was capable of, indeed it was one of the reasons he was in the lab at all today.

But would he tell Robin?

No.

Slade noticed Robin narrowing his eyes at him, and so he shook his head. "Do you?"

"Would I have asked if I did?" Robin responded. He pushed past Slade and wandered out onto the road again. "We need to find some people, and try and figure this out."

"How do you believe you'll be received by any people you meet?" Slade questioned. "Something tells me strangers won't be too welcome in a place that's been nearly destroyed."

"Well… do you have a better idea?" Robin asked.

"Good luck," Slade said with a smirk.

"Don't wander off," Robin warned, suspicious of the man. Keeping an eye on Slade, he started further into town.

He had walked a few steps when he spotted a shadow moving between the plumes of smoke. Robin instantly darted out after the source of the shadow. Rounding a corner of destruction, he spotted a young man in ragged clothes, his face marred with burns, leaning against a smoldering post. He grinned at Robin, and then stuck a cigarette in his mouth. "Got a light?" he asked. Robin just stared. "No? Okay then." He knelt down before a small fire, and leaned toward it, cigarette between his lips. The end lit, and so he stood and turned his attention to Robin again.

"Nice clothes. What're you, a 'hero' or somethin'?" he asked. Robin did not respond. "I'd be careful if I was you, in these parts wearin' somethin' like that could get you killed."

"What happened here?" Robin asked.

"Whole damn place got obliterated," the man answered, his eyes taking on a deadened look for a moment. "Shoulda seen it comin'. Few days before, a group of guys came in with a real tall girl, they was stayin' in the hotel on Fourth Street. Then, one night we see 'em walking out, and they left town – all of 'em except the girl. We saw the girl later, she was flyin' or something. We saw her in the sky, then it got real bright, and next thing you know, everything's half destroyed or on fire."

"How did you survive?" Robin asked, horrified.

"Dumb luck I guess, we all dove into the river when we saw the light comin'. The water around us turned to vapor, but we survived. We've been livin' in the places still standin' ever since."

"What about the police, the government, or the Red Cross, haven't they been here?" Robin questioned. Surely such an event would prompt relief services to arrive.

"They cut us off, nobody gets in or out, and nuthin' gets in or out. Not even food. If that explosion had hit the Wal-Mart Supercenter, we'd all be cannibals by now."

"What about the Titans? Have the Titans been around to help?" Robin demanded, wondering if any of his friends were even still alive, if they even existed wherever the Hell he was.

"The who? Titans? There were Titans once, but that was a long, long time ago. There ain't no Titans here. And as for the other 'superheroes,' they don't come 'round here, not since what happened in Gotham," the man said.

"What happened in…?" he began, but was cut off by the man's petrified stare.

"Shh!" he ordered. "She's comin'," he whispered, leaning towards Robin.

"Who?" Robin asked as the man backed against the post.

"The girl who blasted this place to Hell. The guys, they never came back for her. And now she just wanders around. We all think she might be dying, but we don't know. She don' let no one come near her or talk to her."

Robin listened carefully as the man stopped speaking. All he could hear was the man's hoarse breathing, and the sound of weary footsteps coming closer and closer. Her shadow formed on the ground before them, and then the girl stepped in view.

Her spine bent forward, she was stooped over and listless. Her clothes – skintight black pants and halter top – were in tatters, her boots caked in dirt. Grimy red hair hung in front of her face. Her arms were wrapped around herself, and Robin could see that her skin was covered in hideous boils. She looked familiar to Robin, so he took a step forward. At the sound of his boots scraping in the dirt, the girl turned to look at him. What he saw made him freeze in shock.

"St… Starfire!" he gasped.

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

"Robin! We have returned from the mall of shopping!" Starfire's voice rang out through the emptiness of Titan's Tower. "Robin! Where are you? I would like to show you the wondrous things I have purchased!"

Raven walked into the room behind her, a bundle of shopping bags in her hands. She dropped the bags in the corner and looked around the empty Main Room.

"Robin!" Starfire shouted again.

Raven closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them again. "He's not here Starfire," she said knowingly.

"How can that be?" Starfire questioned. "Where has he gone?"

Raven walked over to the computer console and typed into the touchpad. "Looks like he responded to a call about an hour ago at Jump City Labs. His locator signal is coming from there," Raven answered, monotone.

"Then let us assist!" Starfire shouted, already on her way out.

Raven paused before following. She was concerned. Robin's locator signal was stationary. If he was moving at all then the signal would follow. That could not be good. She saw Star's disappearing form and sighed to herself. "No sense to worry her… yet."

* * *

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

* * *

When Starfire and Raven reached the lab nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The door was hanging open, a sure sign that Robin had rushed in without closing it behind him. As they entered, they saw the smashed remains of dozens of Slade-bots scattered around the halls. They continued on until they reached the room that the Slade-bot parts led to.

It was in ruins.

Metallic shrapnel lay everywhere, and in the center of the lab was a gaping hole. Whatever had exploded saw fit to take the center of the floor out too. Starfire began carefully moving shrapnel and calling out for Robin, while Raven traced his locator signal. She sifted through a pile of debris and found his communicator lying among the rubble.

"Robin! Where are you!" Starfire asked in near-hysterics. "Robin!"

Starfire continued to search through the debris for Robin, while Raven descended to the lower levels on the off chance that he had fallen when the center of the floor was destroyed.

There was no sign of Robin anywhere.

Raven heard a shout and immediately levitated back up to the main level. She saw Starfire standing in the midst of the destruction, while a score of scientists gasped and lamented from the doorway. Clearly they had just returned from their lunch break to find their workplace destroyed.

"What happened here?" a middle-aged man asked, stepping forward.

"Who are you?" Raven asked.

"Dr. Stoneworth, I run this facility. What happened here?" he repeated the question firmly, asserting his authority.

"We don't know. We found it like this," Raven answered. "What do you think happened?" she asked, hoping they could shed some light on the explosion.

"Oh no…" a woman with graying hair gasped as she pushed through the crowds. "Not that… how… how could it have gone off?"

"What?" Raven asked.

"Was anyone in the building when that machine went off?" the woman asked Raven urgently.

"We think our teammate may have been here," Raven responded. "We don't know where he is now. Why? What does that thing do?"

"It's a… I won't bother you with technical terms, but it's still experimental. We've been working with matter transference and temporal anomalies… We were hoping to develop a system of transportation… But we still have no idea what it's capable of, and if it was activated… I'm not sure what it may have done."

"Are you telling us our teammate could be dead?" Raven deadpanned, while Starfire whimpered behind her.

"No, it may be much worse than that."

"What?" Raven asked, her eyes hard and cold.

The woman nervously ran her hands through her hair, her jacket pulled tight across her plump form. "Your teammate could have… I mean… if it actually works… then he might have been transported… somewhere…"

"Where?"

"I… I don't know… anywhere. It was still experimental, when activated, it may have sent him to a different time, a different dimension even."

"Hogwash," Dr. Stoneworth responded from behind her. "Apparently Dr. Kleinmann has been watching too many science fiction movies. The device never would have been able to do that. Your friend just isn't here, that's all."

"Somehow, I'm inclined to believe Dr. Kleinmann," Raven said, glaring at the stuffy man. She turned her attention back to the nervous woman. "Tell me everything about this machine."

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

With Robin occupied, Slade had some time to wander about on his own. Time to figure out what sort of mess he had gotten himself into. The machine clearly caused their current state, and Slade knew exactly what it was, and what it did.

And they were in a world of trouble.

They could be in a different time; in a different dimension… he had no way of knowing.

* * *

A/N: That was short, I know. How horrible I am to all of you.

There's more shocking events to come, and much more mystery.

So how was that for the second chapter?

Let me know what you thought.

_-Sarah Shima_


	3. Unmasked

A/N: Consider yourselves lucky….

I realized this storyline is going to be incredibly hard to follow if I do it with only information that Robin and Slade know, because then I'll just be sitting here weaving storylines and cackling maniacally while you poor readers wrack your brains to attempt to wrest some sort of explanation out of an extremely demented narrative. Therefore, I have decided to let you, the reader, in on things that Slade and Robin do not know. That way, you can sit there saying "God damn you two, can't you even figure one simple little thing out?" And everyone knows that that is much more entertaining than ripping out your hair. Because though we all love the good people at Rogaine, they really should not be on the receiving end of your cash. Also, you need to understand what happened to know what the heck is going on.

I am also going to make my chapters :gasp: longer than usual. It'll be the ultimate test for me, to not end every time a cliffhanger presents itself, but I will find a way to persevere anyhow.

This is the four week check-up for dlsky's challenge. So everyone reading this needs to send an e-mail to dlsky listing the most entertaining challenge story to least entertaining challenge story. This is part of the judging process for the challenge stories, so be sure to e-mail her.

Alright everyone, let's get on with this!

Disclaimer: I get no benefit from writing this, except for a warm fuzzy feeling when I read reviews, so sueing me would be ridiculous.

* * *

**Doing the Right Thing**

Chapter 3: Unmasked

* * *

"St… Starfire!" Robin gasped as he took in the image of the girl before him. She was so unlike Starfire, the shredded clothes, matted hair, and the boils…. Oh God, the horrific lesions on her skin were disgusting to look at. The girl who must be Starfire stared at him listlessly, her usual green eyes having taken on a yellowish hue. The golden skin on her face was graying and sagging. "Starfire… is that you?" Robin asked, almost hoping the answer would be 'no,' he could not stand to think of what must have happened to her to bring her to her current state.

"Who are you?" she asked feebly. He began walking towards her. She looked him over for a moment and then fiery green power enveloped her hands. "STAY AWAY!" she screamed. She aimed a starbolt at him and it hit him square in the chest. Robin was thrown back further into the alley while Starfire ran in the other direction.

Confused and angry, Robin picked himself off of the ground, and inspected the damage to his suit. The front outer layer had ripped, revealing the green cloth beneath it. He was about to go after her when he suddenly noticed that there were more people in the alley now than before.

The young man he had spoken to earlier stood in front of him, a gun in his hands. A group of teenagers formed around him, dressed in thuggish attire and wearing sunglasses, brandishing bats, crowbars, and one of them, a nail gun. "So, you're friends with that bitch, huh?" the man asked, pointing the gun at Robin's chest.

"Look, I don't know what's going on here, but--" Robin began; he stopped short when he realized that no one was listening to him.

"I figured one of you guys would be back to get her eventually. She didn't want to go with you though, did she?" the man chuckled. Then his eyes took on the hollowed look from earlier, and his voice filled with contempt. "So was it fun for you, asking me what happened? Did you 'get off' on hearing about how this city was destroyed? You thought it was funny, didn't you? Just admit it."

"I don't--"

"ADMIT IT! ADMIT IT YOU BASTARD!" the man shouted, his finger squeezing the trigger.

_Bang!_

As the shot went off, Robin launched his body into the air. He evaded the bullet and somersaulted once in the air before releasing a kick to the man's arm. Robin landed cleanly on his feet as a resounding 'crack' filled the air. Screaming, the man clutched his now broken arm, the gun lying uselessly at his feet.

The rest of the gang moved in for the attack, shouting epithets and promising payback for breaking their friend's arm. They were no match for Robin. A few roundhouses and uppercuts later, and the gang members were sprawled across the alleyway.

Robin walked past them, intent on finding Starfire. A slight movement from behind him caught his attention.

_Bang!_

The bullet just missed Robin's left arm as he dodged. He cursed silently, and then turned, leaping as he did so. He kicked the man's neck from above, just hard enough to knock him out.

Robin headed back out into the open destruction, intent on hunting her down.

* * *

Starfire leaned back against the bent metal pole of a 'Stop' sign, catching her breath. Her body protested her every movement, and her brief use of starbolts had resulted in a whole new set of lesions to open up on her hands.

She hurt so badly.

She just wanted it all to go away, the angry faces, the jeering, the taunting, the violence….

She slid down to the ground, her arms around her knees. When she fled her home planet and her sister's machinations, she had no idea what kind of Hell was awaiting her. She only wanted to find nice people, to make friends, to escape the torment of her past. She never wanted to think of the time she spent as a slave, or test subject, not any of it. She came to Earth for change, for a new life.

When she met the man with the beard, she had no idea what he would do to her. Even now, looking back on it, she found it still hurt. He told her that his group was going to change the world, make it a wonderful place where everyone would be happy. He wanted her help, and she gave it. She allowed them to hook her up to those machines of torture, machines that filled her body with more solar energy than she could hold. Her body was aflame, there was only one way to rid herself of it. And so she did as he asked, she flew into the sky over the city and released the sum of her powers upon it.

He said she would be helping people.

However, when she saw what she had done, the people she killed, the destruction… she wanted to die. She wanted to die so badly. Because of that machine her body broke out in boils, because of the machine her movements were slow and painful. And because of that man, she had killed scores of innocent people.

She released her hold on her legs, allowing them to relax out in front of her. Her body ached, her muscles burned, and she felt the first glimmer of happiness wash over her.

She was dying.

Finally.

Just before her, the water in the river moved calmly through the wreckage. The sight of the water caught her eye, and she knew what she had to do. Crawling across the ground, she pulled herself to the cliff top above the river. "I am sorry," she whispered. "I never wanted to hurt anyone. X'Hal, please forgive me." With a sigh of relief for her burning-hot body, she slid over the edge, landing in the water. She sank to the bottom and did not come back up. The water sizzled as she made contact, and then it was over.

* * *

Robin raced across the open field. The grass had been burned, so now it covered in dust. "Starfire!" Robin shouted, searching for her. "Starfire! Where are you!"

He heard familiar footsteps behind him, and ignored them, calling for the alien again. "Stop that, you'll only attract attention to us," Slade snapped.

"I'm looking for my friend," Robin said, his words sounding hollow as he remembered how Starfire did not recognize him, how she had attacked him. No, something was not right – she was not _his_ Starfire. Robin stopped shouting, getting his hysterics under control. He gave Slade a cold stare.

"Have you figured out where we are yet?" Slade asked.

'Another test, huh?' Robin thought, his anger increasing again.

"Why are you asking me when you already know where we are?" Robin asked; his voice hard. He turned with hatred in his eyes and stared at his foe. "It's your fault we're here in the first place!"

"My fault?" Slade asked with mock-innocence.

"What exactly were you doing in that lab Slade? What were you stealing?" Robin asked.

Moment of truth time, Robin was glaring at Slade fit to kill. "I was stealing chemicals, the same ones that run the machine we activated."

"And what does that machine do!" Robin demanded.

"I think you could probably figure that out on your own…"

"Dammit Slade, enough games! Where are we!"

"Well, it's possible that we're in a different dimension."

"Just great," Robin muttered, Slade validating what he already knew to be true. "Do you have any idea how to get back?"

"Our best chance is to find a machine similar to that one, any ideas?" Slade asked, amused at Robin's fury.

"Actually yeah…" Robin said, his anger coming under control. "If Jump City Labs was working on it, then S.T.A.R. labs is probably making one too… We need to go to Gotham."

"Well then, we'll need a change of clothes. We'll want to fit in."

* * *

A few moments later, Robin and Slade had 'borrowed' some clothes off of Robin's attackers. Clad in indigo jeans, a blue T-shirt, a black leather jacket that hid his utility belt, and his own boots, the only item that would prevent Robin from blending into a crowd was his mask. The same could be said for Slade, the orange and black mask making his jeans and denim jacket look awkward.

Realizing the problem, Slade decided that it was necessary for both of them to remove their masks. His survival was more important than keeping up his image, and besides, he did not rely on a 'secret identity' like Robin did.

"Remove your mask," Slade ordered, curious to see what the boy looked like without it.

"What?" Robin asked, balking at the superior tone Slade used with him. "I don't know what happened to make you think that I'll take orders from you, but…"

"You are too conspicuous with it on, so remove it," Slade interrupted.

"And what? You'll blend right in with yours on?" Robin questioned.

"I will be removing mine as well," Slade responded curtly. The boy was exasperating.

Robin pushed past Slade and stood over one of the fallen gang members. With his back to Slade, he quickly swapped his mask for a pair of sunglasses. He turned back to the villain with a smug smile on his face.

Slade stared down at him for a moment before removing his mask. Robin raised his eyebrows at the sight that greeted him. Disheveled blonde hair lay on Slade's head, and a goatee stuck out from his chin. The black line of his eye patch cut across his face.

"I always pictured you bald," Robin said, feeling strangely unaffected at finally seeing the face of Slade. After all of that time of being haunted by the thought of what lay underneath the mask, now he knew. Slade was just human after all.

"Enjoying yourself?" Slade asked, fury rising at having Robin mock him and refuse to reveal his appearance to him. The boy would pay.

"Not particularly. That _could_ be because you got us trapped in an alternate dimension where the whole city has been destroyed by one of my teammates…"

Slade smirked at Robin, receiving an angry glare in return. "Well you said we should go to Gotham, so lead the way Robin. I assume you will know how to navigate the city much better than I," Slade said. Robin's gaze darted to Slade, catching the undertones of what he said. "Are you perhaps hoping that your _father_ will help you?" Slade asked mockingly.

"How would you know?" Robin demanded.

Slade walked past him, and then stopped just in front of Robin. "I suggest you be ready for anything. You have no idea what the Bat will be like in this dimension. I wouldn't want you being disappointed…"

* * *

Robin and Slade walked in silence for a long while as the sun descended. The entire time Robin's mind played over the scenes of his battle at the labs, his discovery of the destroyed Jump City, the gang, Starfire, all of it.

A pervading anger continued to rise within him, his hands forming fists. It was all Slade's fault that they were in this mess in the first place. And there Slade was – ordering him. If this was another scheme of Slade's then… well, Robin had no idea what he would do. All he could hope for was that Batman would believe his ridiculous-sounding story and help him find a way to get back to his own dimension, with or without Slade.

* * *

The pair continued by the endless path of destruction. The macabre scenes before them did little to unnerve Slade. His main concern stayed on how he would return to his world. No one who could help him knew what happened, and the Titans were so pathetic that they would end up mourning Robin's death before figuring out where he was or how to get him back. Slade shook his head. Robin's idea to find a comparable machine was a good one, but the chances were narrow.

However, Slade did not let that affect him. He could enjoy himself in this dimension. For one thing, Robin would have to reveal Batman's lair, and possibly his alter ego to Slade. That would give Slade much power when he returned. To know who Batman was – he was the main reason Robin refused to switch sides, and Slade knew it. Without the Bat, everything would be easier. And if they never found a way back, and were forced to stay – well, how bad could it be? If Jump City was a preview for the rest of the world, then Slade felt satisfied that someone with his skills could be accepted here. Robin as well, depending on Batman of course…

* * *

They reached the outskirts of the city, having not discovered another living soul along the way. What they did discover posed quite a problem. Constructed of cheap materials, a large wall had been erected around the city's perimeter. Robin and Slade took in the details. Razor wire lined the top, spikes protruded from the side at varying intervals, and, of course, they could hear the sounds of armed guards standing on the other side.

The pair glanced briefly at each other, both coming up with a similar conclusion. Together they could easily get over the wall and past the guards, but that would require some teamwork…

Slade studied Robin's cautious expression. "Oh come on Robin, we have worked together before. Remember that little fight with Trigon? Our fighting styles complemented each other quite nicely," Slade smirked. And now Robin could see the smirk, and that just made him angrier.

"Fine," Robin spat.

"All right. You go first. With your acrobatics, scaling the wall will be easy, unfortunately, I will need a diversion," Slade smiled. Even though the words sounded self-deprecating, the tone definitely did not reflect it. Robin screwed up his face in annoyance, knowing that Slade's plan meant Robin would be in more danger. "Want to go to Gotham to see Daddy, Robin? Then we have to get over this wall."

Without a word to Slade, Robin turned to the wall and jumped. One foot connected with the wall and he pushed off, somersaulting in the air and using the spikes on the wall for leverage. At the top, he flipped over it twice, before descending on the surprised guards. They opened fire on him, and Robin tucked his body into a ball, speeding up his descent. Just before he landed, he kicked out, knocking two of the guards down. He spun and took down two more guards, while dodging bullets shot by the others. It was the kind of adrenaline-rushing experience he only ever received in Gotham.

With the guards focused on Robin, Slade found it quite easy to climb over the wall and jump down. He took two guards by surprise and easily knocked them out as Robin finished off the last one.

* * *

"This way," Robin said, leading Slade towards the hill that separated Gotham and Jump City.

When they reached the top of the hill the sky had become completely dark. The heavily wooded trail they followed kept their pace slow as they felt around them for trees. However, there was a clearing at the top. Robin looked down towards the city he grew up in, half-hoping to see the Bat-signal lighting up the sky.

Of course, as is the way in life, Robin was disappointed. The darkened sky that covered Gotham harbored no sign of the city's protector, and the city itself resounded with the screams of its citizens.

Robin only quickened his pace, wanting badly to reach the city and find out what had happened. For some reason, the thought of Gotham in a horrific state ripped at his heart even worse than Jump's plight, and he knew why. There was no way Batman would let his city go to hell…

* * *

A/N: So how was that? Yes, yes, I killed Starfire, and I am sorry, but she existed only to make Robin realize what was going on, and since this is an alternate dimension, no harm done. Can anyone guess who the bearded man was yet?

Keep your eyes open for the next chapter, when Robin and Slade arrivein Gotham.

Anyway, let me know what you think, and be sure to e-mail dlsky!


	4. You Can Never Go Home Part I

**A/N:** I'm back!

I received some awesome reviews for chapter 3, so keep 'em coming people! And e-mail dlsky about the challenge fics you find the most entertaining!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, imagine how old I would have to be if I did...

**

* * *

Doing the Right Thing**

By: Sarah Shima

Chapter 4: You Can Never Go Home Part I

* * *

Slade followed silently as Robin led the way into the city he once called 'home.' The path they took was covered in mud and made for a quiet hike, both of them much too focused on maintaining their footing to snip at each other.

Eventually they arrived at the waterfront, the lights of Gotham shining across from them. Gotham was completely set apart from the rest of the area, surrounded by water, the city could easily be cut off from the outside if needed. Slade silently appraised Gotham from afar. Visible sections of the city remained in half-dark, and crumbling buildings lined the waterfront. Robin was looking up and down the water's edge for a possible bridge to use, to his dismay, the bridge he intended to cross had been destroyed. The New Trigate Bridge lay in disrepair, the center blasted out by a bomb, and the rest half-submerged in the strong currents of the Gotham River. It seemed to have been there for a while. No replacement bridge had been erected, and the next closest one lay far to the South – if it were still standing.

Robin stood uncertainly for a moment, and then began pacing around the area. He ran through his mind a map of Gotham he had memorized as Batman's sidekick, and finally, he remembered. "Let's go," he said to Slade, and turned towards the direction they came from.

"Go where? Gotham's over there," Slade said, agitated with Robin thinking he could order him around. He indicated Gotham with an outstretched hand.

"Unless you're suddenly Aquaman, I think we're going to need a drier route," Robin laughed.

"And what route are you proposing?" Slade asked.

"Hey, do you want to get back to our universe or what?" Robin asked. He responded to Slade's beat of silence with, "Then I suggest you listen to me. I know Gotham better than you do." Robin enjoyed his small triumph as Slade begrudgingly followed him back towards the woods.

* * *

Robin walked for a ways and then stopped, alternately kneeling and brushing away the undergrowth. He did this three times before finding the correct spot. He pulled a tangle of vines off of a manhole cover. "Here, help me lift this," Robin said, reaching for the catch on his side of the cover. 

"You need help?" Slade scoffed.

"Yes, now come on, grab the other side." A beat. "Please?" Robin added with malice. Slade smirked down at him, and then slowly kneeled on the other side, reaching for the manhole cover. Between the two of them, they managed to wrest it off and lay it on the side. Robin motioned for Slade to go first.

"No, I don't think so Robin. You've given me no reason to believe this even leads anywhere. You go first," Slade said, in case Robin was thinking of tricking him. Robin sighed and, passing up the option of the ladder, jumped in, landing cleanly on his feet. Slade followed.

The two were inside a long, dimly lit tunnel. Two long pipes ran on either side of the tunnel, leaving barely any room for the pair to make their way through it. Robin blinked repeatedly behind the sunglasses. Used to starlite lenses with night-vision capabilities, the dark shades were impeding his vision, especially in the dark tunnel.

"This is a steam tunnel; it leads to the Narrows in Gotham," Robin explained, pulling the glasses off for a moment and rubbing his eyes.

"Ah, the Narrows," Slade said with a smile.

"Been there before?" Robin asked, turning towards Slade.

"What 'villain' hasn't?" Slade asked rhetorically.

"Well, let's just hope we get the information we need so we can get out of here. If I have to be stuck with you for much longer…" Robin let his voice trail off as he continued walking down the tunnel, watching Slade who walked slightly behind him.

"Afraid you may grow to like it?" Slade questioned with a superior smile. Robin hated being able to actually see the expressions on Slade's face. He shot Slade a typical 'bat glare' and Slade only laughed.

They continued in silence for a few moments beofre Robin suddenly stopped walking and turned on Slade. "What is it with you! I'm not going to be your stupid apprentice! I'm one of the heroes, one of the 'good guys,' I'm friends with Superman, I was trained by Batman, I lead the Titans. I'm not going to become a villain just because you seem to think that it suits me better."

"All of that just makes it more interesting," Slade remarked. Robin swallowed his anger, knowing by the glance Slade gave him that he would not be able to rattle the man.

Robin growled under his breath and then continued along the tunnel to Gotham.

* * *

They walked along in silence through the damp, hot tunnel. Robin shirked off his jacket as he began to sweat. Slade seemed perfectly comfortable and unaffected by the heat. 

Slade laughed as Robin wiped the sweat off of his brow. "I've almost forgotten how unbearable heat can be to a 'normal' human," he said. "You know, I was planning on making you immortal if you stayed with me that first time."

"Oh wow, if only you'd told me…" Robin said in a mocking voice. "How great would that have been? To have you trying to make me your 'apprentice' for all eternity."

"You would've liked it… eventually," Slade said, smirking once more just because he knew it bothered Robin. Robin did not respond, but continued through the humid pipes, no end in sight.

* * *

After much too long – Robin was glad he had not timed it – the two finally found themselves at the end of the steam tunnel. "Oh thank God," Robin sighed as he surveyed the ceiling hatch. He climbed up the ladder that led to the top of the tunnel, and examined the cover. He pushed on it, and managed to make the old metal budge just enough to slide it over to the side. 

He hopped out into the cool night air, and sighed in relief to be out of the hot tunnel. Slade followed shortly, and the pair surveyed their surroundings. Robin pulled his jacket back on as they stood in one of the worst sections of Gotham.

Robin stared regretfully towards the other end of the city, where the towering bulk of Wayne Manor would eventually appear. He wondered what he would discover if he went there. Was the Manor even there at all?

* * *

The city stunk of decay and disease. Rats sniffed at their feet as the two trudged through the dirty streets. The high-pitched sound of a woman's scream pierced the still night air. Robin's body instantly stiffened as he attempted to discern where the scream came from. Slade leaned down to whisper in the boy's ear. "We have more important things to do here. Whoever she is, she's not our problem." 

Robin was forced to comply, walking along at a fast pace, hoping to get clear of this ghetto soon, while still wondering how he would find Batman without revealing his identity to Slade.

Then he heard a low voice laughing, a voice he had not heard in a while. Robin stopped in his tracks and he turned slowly to the source of the sound. Harvey Dent, also known in the criminal world as "Two-Face" due to the horrible disfiguration of one side of his face, stood in the alleyway, a revolver in hand. He pointed it menacingly at a man and woman, while a young girl stood beside him, his hand a vice on her shoulder. "Pick! Heads or tails!" he shouted to the frightened child, slipping his gun hand carefully into his pocket and pulling out his two-sided coin. Two-Face was known for making his decisions based on the outcomes of the flip of that particular coin. Or at least that is what he did in Robin's dimension.

Robin's eyes clouded over as a particular event in his time as Batman's sidekick rose up in his memory. Batman and a judge had been captured by Two-Face, and when Robin showed up to 'save the day,' Two-Face asked him to call the coin toss to save one life or the other. He hoped to buy himself some time to make a plan by playing Two-Face's game. Unfortunately, that backfired, and the judge was killed right in front of him.

Robin turned his attention back to the current scene. The buildings that surrounded the foursome were grimy, and an old, rusty fire escape clung to one wall. The apartments in the buildings seemed empty, but Robin caught a flash of movement in one.

"Pick! Heads or tails! Mommy, or daddy!" Two-Face's voice cut through the dark night. The girl squirmed against his grip on her, her face screwed up in anguish.

"Please… I don't want them to die!" she pleaded, tears gushing down her cheeks.

"Choose!" He persisted.

"Hea…" the girl began.

Before Slade could stop him, Robin had launched himself into the scene. He managed to wrest the girl free of Two-Face and send the maniac flying before Two-Face realized what was happening.

"Go! Get out of here!" Robin yelled to the parents who now had their daughter wrapped tightly in their arms.

"Thank yo…" the woman began, her eyes filled with tears.

"Just GO! I'll take care of Two-Face! Go!" The three complied, racing back down the alleyway and out of sight.

"You'll 'take care' of Two-Face, eh boy?" the maniac laughed as he regained his footing. "What makes you think you can?"

Robin just glared at him, and then jumped into the air. He flipped once over Two-Face's head and then landed a boot to the criminal's back. Two-Face fired two shots, which Robin avoided easily.

"I'm surprised you're not running scared yet. You're just some moron mob boss, and I don't see any of your cronies around!" Robin taunted.

"Mob boss? Where do you get your information, kid? 'Cause it's wrong," Two-Face replied. Two-Face stuffed his gun into his belt, and then proceeded to attack Robin.

Robin, surprised when a fist flew into his face, just barely dodged, and then began a disturbing set of defenses against Two-Face's apparent skill in the martial arts. "What the Hell?" Robin asked as he flipped backwards onto his hands and then launched himself forward into Two-Face's chest. He never even considered that the skills of the villains in Gotham might have been different in this dimension. Once again, he let Two-Face get to him and put himself in a dangerous position.

"Hoping to become a vigilante, boy? Maybe you didn't get the memo, but ever since what the Bat did, vigilantes are not accepted by the general public," Two-Face laughed as he began a set of attacks, intent on forcing Robin to the wall.

"What did Batman do?" Robin asked, pulling his bo staff out of his belt and knocking Two-Face's feet out from under him. "Where is he!"

"_"Where is he?"_? Where have you been?" Two-Face cackled from where he lay on the ground of the alleyway. "He's in Arkham you dolt. Apparently the loss of his little boy toy was too much for him, went plum crazy. Imagine that!"

Robin backed up, the maniac's words spinning through his mind. He raised the staff above his head and brought it down on Two-Face's chest. Just then, he heard sirens approaching. He was inclined to believe what Two-Face said about vigilantes, and so quickly scrambled up a fire escape and out of sight. Across the alleyway, he saw Slade shaking his head at him before he, too, disappeared into the shadows.

Two police cruisers flew towards the alleyway, stopping just at the mouth. Robin watched silently, his body completely still, as James Gordon exited the second vehicle. He and three other officers raced towards Two-Face's fallen form.

"Someone got to him before us," one of the men said to Jim as the two officers cuffed the semi-conscious maniac and hauled him into a police cruiser. It took Robin a moment to recognize the speaker as Detective Harvey Bullock, one of the detectives he had come across several times while working with Batman in Gotham.

"Yeah, but who?" asked Jim. "Another vigilante?"

"Let's hope not," Bullock said. "We don't want a repeat of what happened with Batman.

Jim shook his head gravely. "I can't say I blame him… if it were me, I'd want my revenge too."

"Yeah, maybe. But I doubt you would kill anyone who came between you and your target. But really, I mean, the kid got whacked, but whose fault was it that he was in danger in the first place?"

Jim seemed to be fighting an internal battle, not sure what to think about the situation. "Harvey, I don't expect you to understand. But I knew both of them very well, and when I think of how he looked when we saw the body, when I think of how he was killed… I wanted to join Batman and help find the devil behind it. But in the end, I knew that it wasn't the man I knew who I was seeing doing those things, so I stopped him. The man I shot is in Arkham now, and the man I knew is gone.

"Come on Harvey, let's go," he said, leading the way back to the police cruiser.

* * *

Sitting in the shadows, Robin felt an odd twinge as he listened to them speak. When they mentioned 'the boy' he had the distinct feeling that they were talking about him. But if that was true… then he was dead. And he was also the reason that Batman had apparently gone insane.

* * *

Slade remained hidden while the police talked. He could barely contain the jovial expression that overcame his face when he heard that Batman had been running around murdering people.

* * *

Robin approached Slade slowly as the police cruisers sped away with their prisoner, something weighing on his mind. "Change of plans," Robin said slowly. "We'll be heading to Arkham instead." 

Slade showed no surprise at Robin's words. He face revealed a sort of small, triumphant smirk. Robin wondered what he felt victorious about, but was too preoccupied with the task ahead of him to think on it much.

Batman was in Arkham, _Bruce_ was in _Arkham_. No one could capture the Batman alive and keep him caged forever, especially the idiots who ran Arkham. People like the Joker, Two-Face, and Harley Quinn were constantly outsmarting security and breaking out. For Bruce to be in there, then something had to be wrong with him.

Jim Gordon had said that Bruce had become someone he did not recognize. Robin wondered exactly what he meant by that.

With Slade following, Robin set out for Arkham Asylum, feeling at least grateful that the trip through the steam tunnel had proved helpful – it put them right where they needed to be, the Narrows.

* * *

Robin walked with trepidation up the narrowed road that would lead to the sanitarium. He looked up and saw the towering mass of Arkham Asylum rising from the ground before him. Situated on a hill, the sanitarium glowered down on the rest of the Narrows, a nasty monument that reminded all who saw it of what kind of a city they were in. This was not Metropolis; that was for sure. 

Gotham was a city where people were mugged, raped, and murdered on a regular basis. Before the arrival of Batman, the newspapers had become so grim that few bothered to even read them anymore. However, with the appearance of a frightening vigilante, people once again had hope for their city. They read with awe the exploits of Batman, and later also that of his sidekick, Robin. But even with all of their efforts, Gotham felt no safer than it had been. And this Gotham was much worse than the one that Robin had come from.

Robin approached the spiked gate whose twisted wrought iron spelled "Arkham Asylum." He drew in a shaking breath as he stepped through it. Slade had stopped following him, and Robin dimly wondered if he was using the opportunity to ditch Robin and get back on his own. However, Robin could not turn to ask him, there was no going back now.

As he walked toward the main entrance, security met him, blocking his path. The three men regarded him cautiously, taking in the face that he was wearing sunglasses at night.

"Where do you think you're going, kid?" the security guard asked, glaring at him. The kid looked familiar somehow to the guard, he just did not know why.

"I'm here to see someone," Robin responded calmly, even though inside he was freaking out. His heartbeat had increased with each step towards the asylum, and was threatening to burst out of his chest now.

"Visiting hours are over for the night, you'll have to come back tomorrow morning," the man responded, bored.

Robin could have smacked himself; of course visiting hours were over! Did he really think they would just let him waltz on in? But still, the more time he had to spend with Slade…

"This is an emergency," he said curtly, arms folded.

"I don't care. Visiting hours are over. Come back tomorrow."

Robin surveyed the security. Three, tired, underpaid men standing around in the booth by the entrance. He could have easily taken out all three of them, let himself in, knock out whoever got in his way, find Bruce, talk to him, and then…

But that was where his plan caught a snag. If he decided to force his way in, he would only have a small amount of time to get the information he needed from Bruce. And if what he heard could be taken as truth, then he was dead in this dimension. It would most likely take quite a while to get Bruce to trust him, and that would just take too long. It would never work.

Resigned, he walked back over to Slade. "We'll have to come back tomorrow."

Slade nodded in calm satisfaction. Robin seemed frazzled, distressed. As he walked towards Slade he had kept turning around to glance at the asylum, and Slade knew why. From what he overheard it seemed the Batman was incarcerated within the asylum. Slade knew that Batman was Robin's mentor, and he assumed that in some way the flying rodent was also a father to Robin.

"We should try to get some sleep," Slade suggested, knowing the pair would need their wits about them for the events of the following day. Although he fondly considered staying in this dimension, Slade knew that it would be too much of an adjustment for him. He would have to start over, from the bottom up once again. He would much rather be back in his own universe.

"Where exactly were you planning on sleeping?" Robin asked, raising an eyebrow behind the sunglasses that seemed much too dark now. He motioned to the tenements and alleyways that surrounded Arkham Asylum.

"I'll find someplace," Slade said. "Follow me," he added in a commanding tone, just to annoy the boy.

Now in the lead, Slade enjoyed glancing back toward Robin who pointedly tried to avoid eye contact with him. Slade knew the sunglasses had to be aggravating his eyes by now, but he refused to take them off. The boy was so stubborn!

Slade trekked through the back alleyways of tenements, searching for an area that the pair could use. He passed buildings with screaming children, and domestic abuse, and continued towards the abandoned brick building nearby the area where Robin foolishly fought Two-Face. Robin should not have engaged the enemy as if he already knew him; the Titan should have thought things out a little better first, they were in a different dimension after all. Slade shook his head. Now the police were becoming suspicious, and any more acts of vigilantism could make things very difficult for the two of them. Not that Slade would mind killing people who got in his way, but he assumed that Robin would try and stop him, making things ever more difficult. While Slade knew Robin stood no chance against him, he was still wary of how far he pushed him. Robin knew the city better than he did, and had contacts he might be able to coax into helping, while Slade on the other hand did not. He might very well need Robin before the end.

* * *

Slade finally found the old, abandoned, decaying tenement building. Pushing open the rotting door, he led the way inside. Robin followed slightly behind, cautious about entering a place that was most likely filled with homeless people. 

Robin's reservations proved sound as the moonlight reflected off of the sleeping forms of numerous bums. Slade wasted no time in passing the homeless people and climbing the rickety staircase to an upper floor. The second level proved nearly empty, with the occasional person here or there. Slade picked out an empty corner, and swept his arm out in a gesture that to Robin read: "Make yourself comfortable."

"I'll keep the first watch," Slade announced, knowing that both would have to be on guard to the possibility of being attacked in their sleep.

"And how do I know you won't just leave while I'm sleeping?" Robin questioned, raising an eyebrow at Slade.

"How do I know you won't drive a stake through my heart while I'm sleeping?" Slade paused, and then continued. "It looks like we're at a stalemate. We'll just have to _trust_ each other."

"How nice," Robin huffed, settling himself on the floor. He pushed away his worries of Slade leaving, something told him that his nemesis would have been long gone by now had he known how to return. Besides, something much heavier weighed on his mind… Bruce.

* * *

Raven and Cyborg sat at the computer console side-by-side, running the data they collected from Dr. Kleinmann. In the background, Starfire and Beast Boy poured over newspapers, searching for articles that contained anything about Slade or Robin. The theory that they were transported to an alternate dimension seemed a bit far-fetched to Beast Boy; but considering he was searching with an alien, an android, and the daughter of a demon, far-fetched was quite a loose term. Also, they had no way of knowing if Slade was actually there, much less if he was transported with Robin. 

The security cameras in the labs had been compromised, so they had little to go on. However, as day turned into night and Cyborg failed to understand exactly what the machine would have done if activated, they were losing faith. However, hope was all they had to go on.

"I hate to say it guys, but it's possible that thing just exploded and obliterated everything, and everyone in the vicinity," Cyborg said heavily, standing from the seat he had occupied for hours.

"There's still a chance that Dr. Kleinmann's theory about the inter-dimensional traveling reaction occurred," Raven suggested, refusing to give up.

"But what can we do to prove it either way, what can we do to help Robin?" Starfire asked, facing Cyborg and Raven with weary, sorrowful eyes.

"I don't know," Raven sighed. "If he is in another dimension, we really have no way of telling exactly where, or any way of helping him to return. We'll just have to keep working and hope that Robin can get himself out of this."

"Dude, this sucks!" Beast Boy announced. The green member of the team had been quite silent since Raven's S.O.S. pulled he and Cyborg from their camping trip. It had been his first real vacation in a while, and he really pushed Robin into letting him go. Beast Boy felt guilty for leaving his teammates, but guilt seemed to be shared by all of them.

Starfire and Raven had apparently gone shopping, promising to leave their communicators on should anything happen. But their communicators did not receive a strong signal inside the mall, and so they did not receive Robin's transmissions.

"I wish there was something constructive we could do!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "We gotta find Robin and help him out!"

"I don't know if that's possible," Raven sighed. "But we cannot, and will not, give up on him."

* * *

Sometime during the night Robin felt strong hands shaking him awake. He opened his eyes slowly, and came face-to-face with a mask-less Slade. Crying out in alarm, he pushed back from the hands on his shoulders and reached out to strike him. Slade caught his fist before it could make contact. "Calm down," Slade said gruffly. 

Robin's brain finally made contact with his body and he lowered his fist. "Sorry," he said curtly.

"Your turn to watch," Slade said.

Robin nodded, standing and leaning against the wall as his archenemy lay down on the floor and fell into a restful sleep.

Robin turned away from Slade and focused on recounting the events that led up to their arrival in this new dimension. If he could get to Bruce and get him to help, then he would need to remember exactly how it happened. In his mind he flashed through images of entering the labs, destroying the slade-bots, and then engaging Slade in a fight. He pictured the chamber filled with ethereal liquid, and the damage he and Slade caused it. However, rather than making everything clearer, this only succeeded in causing his anger to swell. He stared down at Slade, angry that he was in this situation; angry that Slade caused them both to be trapped here; angry that he had to see things he did not want to see; angry that Slade might discover his identity; angry that any of this had happened at all. He just wanted to be back in the Tower with his friends, foiling Mad Mod's plots and laughing over pizza.

His thoughts then strayed to his team, what were they thinking? Did they believe he was dead, or were they looking for him? He had no way of knowing, but focused on finding a way out of this mess himself, he could not rely on other people to save him.

* * *

**A/N:** That chapter took forever to write, and I'm sorry if the quality was affected by my writer's block. However, the best is yet to come! My favorite scene thus far takes place in the next chapter! Yay! And Slade's nice-ness will be coming rather soon as well. 

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving (for those of you in the US of A that is). I'm excited becausewecut down our tree this weekend and decorated it,and also put the lights up on the house. Now I'm back in myroom with a half-decorated fake tree. It's stillpretty though!I should not have leftall of my homework until tonight, but I did, and there is much to do, so I must leave all of you now.

Oh, remember to e-mail dlsky at listing your favorites (best to last) of the challenge stories.

Alright everyone, don't forget to e-mail dlsky, and to review as well!

_Sarah Shima_


	5. You Can Never Go Home Part II

**A/N:** I'm back with another chapter for your enjoyment. I am personally fond of this one, and I hope you all like it as well.

So, thank you to everyone who reviewed, and everyone who e-mailed dlsky to rate the challenge stories (don't forget to do that!).

Disclaimer: DC comics is not owned by me.

Now without further ado, let's get straight to the new chapter.**

* * *

**

**Doing the Right Thing**

By: Sarah Shima

Chapter 5: You Can Never Go Home Part II

* * *

At exactly 8 a.m., Robin a.k.a. Dick Grayson, and Slade Wilson stood outside of the gates to Arkham Asylum. Walking silently up the pathway, they entered the asylum. Slade quietly stayed to the back of the white-walled waiting room as Robin headed to the sign-in desk.

The receptionist on duty looked up at him lazily, spinning her blonde hair around her finger. "Yeah?" she asked simply, slowly putting down the magazine she had been fixated on.

"I'm here to see someone," Robin answered.

"You goin' ta tell me tha name?" she asked with a drawl.

"Oh right… sorry… I'm here to see…" He paused, not sure what to say. Everyone knew Batman was Bruce Wayne, didn't they? Then he should be able to ask for either, right? He decided just to chance it. "Bruce Wayne," he finished in a whisper, glancing sideways at Slade and hoping he had not heard.

"Ah, Bruce Wayne," the receptionist laughed loudly. Slade definitely heard. Dammit. "No one ever comes to see that old bird – or should I say 'bat'?" she added.

"Just, can I see him please?"

"Wha's your interest anyway?" she questioned, glancing sideways at him.

"I'm an old, um, business associate," Robin said.

"You look ta be a little young for that," the woman said.

"Look, can I just…" Robin began, but she cut him off.

"All right, fine. Just sign your name on tha line. And be sure to not try and bust 'im out while you're in there."

Robin picked up the pen and hesitated. Writing 'Dick Grayson' was not a good idea, if he was right, then Dick was dead. 'Robin' would be equally bad. He thought for a moment, and then his lips quirked up in a smile as he remembered an old codename.

Without hesitation, he signed "Al Richardson" on the line.

"Okay Al, go wait in viewing room three," the woman said, apparently glad to see him go as she immediately picked up her magazine again.

* * *

_"Go get Wayne, someone's here ta see him in room tree,"_ the orderly heard through his intercom. He shook his head and turned to the staff member who was approaching him from the waiting room.

"Must be the commissioner again," the orderly sighed as the pair walked down the rows of patient rooms towards the one that housed the former avenger of Gotham City. "No matter what he does, he can't even get Wayne to say a word."

"Tell me about it. But this time it's someone different. Sandra said it's some guy named 'Al Richardson'," the other man responded.

"Never heard of him before, I wonder what it's all about."

* * *

Robin sat uncomfortably in the visiting room. Its starkness – stone walls, concrete floor, metal table in the center of the room, and two chairs – made him feel as if he were visiting someone in prison, not a mental institution. Though really, what was the difference?

He stood up, pushing the metal chair behind him, and began to pace. A habit since he was a child, Dick could never sit still for very long, however, now he paced out of nervousness rather than boredom.

His heart beat quickly in his chest, and he quickened his pacing, trying to figure out what to do. How should he even approach Bruce? What should he say? He still had the sunglasses on, but there was no chance that Bruce would not recognize him. He would know right away, and then what? Would he believe that he really was Dick, or would he think someone was playing a trick on him? There could be severe consequences if Bruce took this the wrong way. He just did not know who else to turn to. This world he had been sucked in to felt so strange. Friends could be enemies, and enemies could be friends.

The decaying corpses of Jump City floated into his mind. He could not prevent himself from dwelling on it. Different dimension or not, those people had lost their lives in such a horrible way. Most likely, they were killed by his own friend; someone who in his world swore to protect the people of that city. But how did that happen? Who was behind all of this? He remembered what he heard about a group of men who came into town with Starfire, just before the city was destroyed. There must have been a leader, someone running the whole operation. And though he hated to have a large ego, he was fairly certain that his death played out as part of a plot by this enemy as well.

He rubbed his hands together in agitation as he paced, beginning to feel like a little kid waiting for a lecture by Batman. He smiled at the memory in spite of himself. However, his moment to muse was cut short when the door creaked open. Jumping in surprise, he nervously sat down at the table, turning his head to prevent Bruce from recognizing him until they were alone in the room.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Bruce Wayne was led into the room. Pale-skinned and gaunt, former mentor stood sullenly between the two orderlies. He was limping, favoring his left leg over his right. Wrists and ankles restrained, he did not fight the orderlies at all. His black hair was matted and hanging in his eyes. He stared blankly through his once piercing blue eyes as he was ushered into the chair.

The orderlies nodded to Robin, and then left the two alone. Dick carefully turned his head to face Bruce. Bruce gazed toward him, as if he did not even see him.

"Hello Bruce," Dick said shakily. He noticed Bruce seemed to suddenly perk up, as if he recognized his voice. Hands trembling, Dick reached up and removed his sunglasses. And then Bruce recognized him.

Eyes narrowing, Bruce's blank face took on an expression of malice and distrust. "Who are you?" he said coldly.

"It's… I know this will sound crazy, but it's me… Dick," Dick said, regretting it as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Somehow, seeing Bruce that way made him freeze, all careful thoughts and plans and ways to fool him just to get what he needed left his mind, and all he could think to say, was the truth.

"**He** is dead," Bruce said.

"I… I know…" Dick began. "You see, I'm from a different dimension and…"

"How much did he pay you, to come here?" Bruce asked carefully.

"Wait… what?"

"How long did it take him to make you look like Dick? Or was he just lucky, finding such a close match?" Bruce asked. "But he didn't get all of the details right. You should go back and tell him that for me. Tell him that I know Dick well enough to know when I'm looking at someone different. You're older than he was, and your hair is different – Dick never spiked his hair like that."

"I'm trying to tell you – I **am** Dick, I'm just from a different universe or something, you see, I was at this lab and the device there blew up, and then--" Dick started, just to be cut off once again. Bruce was not listening to a word he said.

"So why _did_ he send you here?" Bruce asked, his voice becoming colder, and much closer to Batman's. "To torture me? Is that it?"

"No one sent me here, okay?" Dick said, exasperated.

Apparently, it was not okay.

* * *

Slade sat in the back of the stark white waiting room, a grim smile adorning his once-covered features.

_"Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne. **Bruce Wayne.**"_ The name spun through his mind again and again, and he smiled wider. **Bruce Wayne.** He now knew the identity of the Batman. And it was so simple, so plain that it practically screamed 'how could you have not figured this out sooner!' at him. The rich, eccentric, 'playboy', billionaire of Gotham City is the Batman. With so much wealth at his disposal, of course he was Batman.

And who would that make Robin?

Slade paused to think for a moment on this one. He of course had an exceptional mind, but something that had seemed unimportant would take him a moment to remember.

_"Ah yes. Bruce Wayne took in an orphaned acrobat over ten years ago,"_ Slade thought. _"Richard Grayson."_ He remembered having read about it at some point; he liked to keep up with the news. And the acrobat's case had been interesting to him. Slade thought it strangely ironic that Robin – or Richard had caught his attention even back then. Too bad he had not been the one to adopt the boy. Then again, he had never been much of a father, even to his own children.

But still, this new information could prove useful. Now that he knew Robin's secret identity he could toy with him even more. He would have to remember all of this in case they managed to return to their dimension. For now, he just wondered what an insane Bruce Wayne and his dead ward could possibly be talking about.

* * *

Bruce stared long and hard at the youth who sat before him. He seemed to be quite the good actor, and he continued to stammer on about alternate universes and how he actually _was_ Dick.

Bruce would have sighed inwardly, or shook his head, if he was not so consumed by anger. It felt liberating in a way. After the time he spent locked up in that little room, drugged and restrained, his emotions had deadened even more. When he had been forced to sit still and think about what happened; when he was forced to _remember_ what happened, that was when it all came crashing down on him. Bruce Wayne could not deal with it. And Batman had left him. The crusade over, he could no longer pull on his cowl and channel his anger and hurt into a powerful force of justice. He destroyed what the Batman stood for, and now, even if had the cowl, it would do him no good.

And that boy just sat across from him, pretending to be Dick, torturing him on his master's orders. How dare he! How could he!

Without his consent, Bruce's mind brought him back to the events he had fervently attempted to forget.

_

* * *

Batman raced through the dark, his heart banging in his chest. He was too late, he knew it; he was too late. Robin had disappeared days and days ago, and the note he received struck fear into his heart._

_He was too late._

_The moment he had feared since little boys with blue eyes and black hair began turning up dead all over Gotham, either with a bat symbol, or the Robin 'R' carved into them, had arrived. He tried to protect Dick; he kept him close, and forced him to stay in the cave when he went on a dangerous patrol. But in the end, the boy had been snatched while the Dynamic Duo were stopping a routine mugging. _

_He had just turned, and Robin was gone. _

_Gone. _

_There had been no word since. _

_Batman checked all of the hospitals and morgues for someone matching his description. He had searched every pit and hellhole in Gotham looking for him, called in all of his favors, beat up every crook he could find who might have some information. He had not slept or eaten properly in days. And there was nothing. _

_It had been well over a week since his abduction when Batman finally received a note from his abductor. Even as he read it he knew he was too late. _

_But what if he wasn't? _

_He went over the note in his mind again and again._

_**Batman,**_

_**I have Robin. If you want him, come and get him.**_

_**We'll be at the abandoned opera house in **_

_**Old Gotham waiting for you.**_

_Batman ran into the seemingly abandoned opera house with growing trepidation. A trail of blood met him at the entrance. One blood stain had been made in the shape of the bat symbol. Bruce's heart jumped into his throat as he followed the trail. He turned a corner and saw a splash of light before him. He ran towards it, recognizing that it was coming from beneath a closed door. He grasped the doorknob to a large door labeled "Stage Right" and quickly pulled it open._

_He was met with a sight that struck him to his core._

_There was Robin – Dick, lying crumpled on the stage, his body glistening with blood. A spotlight was fixed on him, making him seem ghostlike. _

_Batman ran to him. The top part of the Robin suit was in tatters, exposing many injuries, but the rise and fall of his chest alleviated some of Batman's worry, at least he was alive. _

_He knelt beside the broken form of his partner, his heart breaking, while his mind calmly took in the details: Faint heart beat, breathing, burn marks from electricity, cuts from a dull blade, bruises from bludgeoning, broken ribs, broken arm, broken fingers… _

_Batman paused as he noticed Robin's hands. Gloveless, he could see the scorch marks running down them, and noticed that each finger was broken in two places. If he made it out of there alive, he'd never throw a batarang again._

_Batman forced himself to focus on the situation at hand. He needed to get Robin back to the cave, and fast. He scooped the boy up in his arms, receiving a moan of pain from his partner in response. "It's okay Robin," he whispered._

"_Bru…" Robin began; his speech slow and thick._

"_It'll be all right," Batman reassured as he turned to leave._

"_Not so fast Batman," a voice suddenly said. Batman turned towards the back of the opera house, and saw the person who had tortured Robin walk towards the stage._

"_Ra's Al Ghul," he said, his voice laced with disgust. Ra's' only response was a smile that bordered on a smirk as he stared down at the Bat from his spot on the incline._

_Suddenly, a group of ninja jumped down from the catwalk above the stage and came at Batman all at once. He struggled to fight them and maintain his hold on Robin at the same time. However, one of his attackers forcefully tore Robin from Batman's grip while the others prevented him from getting away. "No!" Batman yelled, following with his eyes the ninja who took the boy. He brought Robin over to Ra's and set the half-awake boy on his feet. Ra's tightened his fingers around Robin's shoulders in a vise-like grip. _

"_Let him go!" Batman shouted as Robin began to sway under Ra's hands. In the back, a ninja moved the spotlight so it illuminated Robin and Ra's. _

_Ra's only smiled. Then he turned to the ninja at his right, "I want Batman here to see all of this," he said. The man stepped forward and pulled Robin's mask off of his face._

_Two blue eyes blinked, and then stared glassily at Batman._

"_Bru…" the boy began._

"_Robin!" Batman called, fighting his way towards the boy. "Let him go!" _

"_Of course Batman, I only need a moment," Ra's said. He moved his grasp up to Robin's throat._

_Dick's eyes met Bruce's, pleading with him to save him, to not let him die. After all of their fervent acceptance of death, Dick could not face it, not now, not like this; not with Bruce watching, helpless to do anything. "Dick!" Batman shouted in desperation. Then Ra's' grip tightened, and he saw Dick's eyes widen in horror. _

_Ra's shifted his grip, and… _

_CRACK!_

_Dick hung limply in Ra's' grasp, his head completely sideways. His neck had been snapped. He was dead. _

_Ra's tossed Robin like a rag doll as the ninja stepped aside from the vigilante. The boy's body landed in front of Batman, two unseeing eyes staring up at him from the floor._

"_No…" Batman whispered, kneeling beside him. "No… no, this isn't happening, no…" He reached out, touching him, wanting to feel his heart beat, watch his chest rise. But it was not to be. Robin, no, Dick, was dead. He was gone, forever. _

_A gunshot._

_Blood._

_Pearls._

_It was all over._

"_NO! RA'S!" Batman let out a feral cry and leapt to his feet, racing after the shadow of the smug villain. But he was gone. _

_There was no justice._

_Not for his parents._

_Not for his son._

_It was all for nothing, all of it._

_After he carried Dick's lifeless body back to the Batcave, he immediately departed. All that mattered anymore was revenge. He was bent on it. It was the only wish he had. All he wanted. _

_He went through the entire Rogue Gallery searching for someone who knew something about Ra's. The ones who would not speak were silenced – permanently. There was no longer a code of ethics, not anymore. These people were killers, and they killed someone's parents, and someone's children. It was going to stop; all of this was going to stop._

_However, he did not find Ra's Al-Ghul. Jim Gordon tracked Batman down first. The police commissioner tried to talk him down, but Batman would not go in that easily. And so Batman received a bullet in the leg, and a life sentence in Arkham. It did not matter, he was already in hell._

* * *

Bruce shot his hand out and closed it around Dick's neck. Dick immediately stiffened, his fingers scraping across Bruce's. "When Ra's Al Ghul sent you here, did he tell you what happened to the person you're pretending to be?" Bruce's face was very close to Dick's now. He could feel Bruce's breath against his cheek. Could sense how angry he was. "Did he tell you how he slid his hand up Robin's neck…" Bruce changed his grip. "And then – crack! – snapped his neck. Did he tell you that?" Bruce tightened his grip on Dick's throat, crushing his windpipe. "How dare you come in here pretending to be him! How dare you try to trick me! Dick is dead! DEAD! And he's not coming back! But I could send you to join him!"

Dick struggled to speak as his air supply dwindled. "Bru… ce… ple…ase… don…t…"

Bruce's cold eyes locked with Dick's. And in them the Batman saw something, saw that the boy was pleading. _Please don't let me die!_ The same eyes that had stared at him the night his life had ended.

Bruce immediately let go of Dick's neck. Dick leaned backward, coughing and clutching his throat. "Dick?" Bruce asked, disbelieving. "Is it… is it you? Are you here?" he asked, reaching forward to touch Dick. He recoiled from his old mentor. As Bruce leaned towards him, a set of arms locked around his shoulders. The guards had finally arrived.

They dragged Bruce backward towards the door. "No!" Bruce shouted, reaching towards Dick. "No! It's him! It's my son! Let me stay with my son! No!"

Robin watched it all unfold quite calmly, his heart having long since shattered. He wanted to be home, he wanted to see the real Bruce. The longer he spent in this alternate life, the more he felt himself dying. If he stayed much longer, he would become just like this world's Dick, dead.

* * *

**A/N: **So, what did everyone think?

Send me a review and let me know!

And don't forget to e-mail dlsky as well.

_Sarah Shima_


	6. It's Time

**A/N:** I know I said I would only post on Sundays, but I changed my mind. When I finish a chapter I like it to go up immediately so I can get some feedback before writing the next one.

Some forewarning for those with a low tolerance for violence: There is blood and murder in this chapter, but I did not write it in an especially graphic way, so it should be fine.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewing, I'm glad you all liked the last chapter.

For anybody unfamiliar with Ra's Al Ghul, he's in the Batman comics, he helped train Batman, and is an assassin, among other things.

I've tried to time stamp a lot of the events in this story so I don't get myself and my readers all confused and end up having Slade and Robin walk like a mile yet have it take them six hours. So, you know, pretend that the time makes sense (I have no idea how long it takes to walk where I'm making them go). Anyway, be kind, and enjoy!

* * *

Disclaimer: So not mine

* * *

**Doing the Right Thing**

By: Sarah Shima

Chapter 6: It's Time

* * *

Dick walked slowly into the hall where Slade waited; the aftermath of his discussion with Bruce sinking in. He had taken time to compose himself and replace the sunglasses, but he was feeling defeated at the moment. His only plan had been to go to Batman for help. Now there seemed to be only a few people who might assist, and finding them could prove tricky. He would go to fellow superheroes, but something told him he needed to know the state of affairs in the world before he started shouting for Superman.

"How'd it go?" Slade asked as Dick approached, with a smugness Dick could not stand.

"He's of no use to us," Dick sighed. "He's too far gone." The pair were on their way out of Arkham and back into the Narrows at this point. Dick took the road that led to the North, intent on crossing a highway bridge to the northern island.

Dick turned his gaze to fix on Slade's face. "What about you, don't you know someone who would help us?"

"If the 'me' in this dimension is alive and well, then I can ensure you that he would kill me on sight," Slade said with a certain pride. "But Richard, don't you have any other friends in Gotham City?"

It took Dick a moment to realize what Slade had just said, what he had just been called.

He knew. Slade _knew_.

Dick looked up at Slade slowly, intent on hiding any expression of surprise on the off chance that Slade was just guessing. Not that Slade would just guess. Slade smiled down on him, his lone eye boring into Dick's face.

In his moment of shock and horror as his archenemy discovered his secret identity, his next thought came as a surprise, even to him.

_To Hell with it all. This will make things much easier._

He would deal with his problems with Slade when he was safely in his own dimension, if they were killed trying to get home then none of it would matter anyhow.

As he responded, he chose to pretend he had not heard the use of his true appellation, just to annoy Slade who was certainly looking to goad him into an argument. "There are three people. One is the butler in Batman's house, second, the commissioner of police, and the other is a doctor who works at the Wayne Memorial Clinic nearby Crime Alley."

"A butler, a cop, and a doctor? Oh yes, I'm sure they will be a great help," Slade responded sarcastically.

"I don't recall you having a better suggestion. Besides, if I can get access to the Bat computers then getting out of here should be relatively easy."

"So are we going to the Bat Lair now?" Slade asked with a smirk. His greed and desire to use their current situation to gain as much information on Robin/Richard as he could was insatiable.

"Actually, it's the Bat_Cave_," Robin responded. "That is if it's still there, the cops may have dismantled it already," Robin added.

They walked in tense silence for a while, the busy morning traffic of crime-ridden Gotham speeding by them. They kept to the shoulder of the road, Robin in front and Slade behind. They passed over a four lane bridge that separated the Narrows from the larger island to the North of it.

* * *

After about two hours, Robin finally turned to face Slade. "We should probably get something to eat soon," he said, eyeing a Denny's up the road from them. In truth, he was starving, not having eaten since yesterday, right before rushing into that lab to fight Slade. Slade nodded, and the pair walked into the small diner, seating themselves closest to the door as neither actually had any money.

Robin could only wonder what his friends would think if they could see him now, wolfing down pancakes in silence in a Denny's with Slade. How quickly things could change. It was not as if he and Slade were suddenly best buddies, they wouldn't be giving each other hugs anytime soon, but now they were forced to work together, forced to rely on one another. While that was not the most encouraging thought, at least Slade had not tried to kill him yet.

* * *

A tall, lean man watched Slade and Robin through the glass windows of the diner, staying at an awkward angle so as to not arouse their suspicion. His employer, Ra's Al Ghul aka Henri Ducard aka the Demon Head, had received notice from his informants of a strange visitor to Bruce Wayne earlier in the day. Ducard's contact arranged for a copy of the video feed from the visit, and most of the men in Ducard's employ, as well as Ra's Al Ghul himself, were astonished by what they saw. So now, Mikel, had been ordered to follow the boy, and see if he really resembled who they thought.

Mikel's cell phone vibrated in his coat pocket, and he reached for it, never taking his eyes off of the pair.

"Mikel," he said.

_"Have you been following Wayne's visitor?"_

"Yes, sir," he responded.

_"What have you learned?"_

"He is traveling with an older man, and the two have been heading North on foot. They have just stopped for some food. The younger is quite familiar Mr. Ducard, if I had not been there to see you snap his neck, I would swear he was Grayson a few years older."

_"Interesting."_ Ducard paused, thinking over what he wanted done. _"Follow them for a while longer. Let me know when they reach Crime Alley, I think it's time I meet this doppelganger." _

"Yes, sir."

* * *

After finishing his food, Dick went into the men's bathroom. He washed his face at the sink and then tried to do something to improve his haggard appearance. He stared at his fatigued face in the mirror with disdain. He only hoped that Alfred was still at Wayne Manor, he sure could use something positive right about now. However, it would be a long walk to the Manor, and Dick hated to think of what he would do if the BatCave had been disassembled.

And so, hero and villain skipped out on their bill and entered the streets to some bad news. It was raining; hard. Dick swore silently, knowing how much longer this would make the walk seem, and then wordlessly continued on the road. The quickest route would be to continue on major highways to the Northeast, and then go through the underwater railroad tubes to exit the island and reach the mainland that the Manor stood on. It was looking to be another strenuous day, and Robin had no idea how right he was about that.

* * *

Robin and Slade were making good time, and at approximately 4 p.m. the water-soaked pair entered Crime Alley. Robin kept glancing nervously around him as he and Slade walked through the dangerous, darkening streets. However, unbeknownst to him, the two were being carefully stalked.

* * *

"They have entered Crime Alley, sir," the baritone voice of Mikel informed Ra's Al Ghul in the shadows of old brownstones, long since destroyed by neglect.

_"Good work Mikel. I have sent Karina to assist you. Kill the man, but capture the boy alive."_

"Very well, sir."

Mikel waited with growing anticipation, his fingers already drawing towards the hilts of the blades on his belt, itching to fight.

* * *

Passing in between two tenement buildings, both Robin and Slade were instantly aware of sounds around them. Nearly silent footsteps, and the slight ring of a blade being unsheathed screamed in their ears. The pair instantly knew that there in a horrible place for a fight to start up.

"I suggest you both surrender," a deep voice called from behind them. Robin and Slade spun around in defensive positions, Robin tearing off his shades in order to see well. "If so, I will make sure that you, old man, die a quick and virtually painless death."

The man stood in complete confidence, clad in dark clothes and a trench coat, a long, thin blade in his hand. He sneered at Robin and Slade as he spoke, and Robin could see Slade's muscles tighten in annoyance. "Will you?" Slade asked skeptically, his hand reaching towards his hidden utility belt. "And what of my young friend here?" Slade added, to keep the man distracted as he searched for whatever it was he needed.

"He is to be captured alive," Mikel said with smugness.

"Is that so?" Slade asked, releasing a handful of mini-bombs. The shiny balls skittered towards Mikel before exploding around him. He leapt into the air, avoiding them, and immediately lunging for Slade. Robin countered with a few birdarangs from his own utility belt. Mikel sliced two in half with his sword, and then caught the third in his hand.

"Bird-shaped shurikens?" he said, puzzled. "Who are you?" he asked, staring intensely into Robin's blue eyes.

Robin instantly became aware of the fact that this man knew he was Robin, Robin who was dead. He had no chance to consider his answer though, for Slade began to fight Mikel hand to hand.

For the first time, Robin saw that Slade was outmatched. He watched in awe and surprise as Mikel slashed at Slade, renting deep cuts in his skin. Slade's blood seeped onto his clothes, coloring them a deep red.

Robin assisted with more birdarangs, and by jumping in for a few roundhouse punches that seemed completely ineffective on the assassin. Mikel caught Robin's right wrist and twisted it, receiving a satisfying crack in response. Robin screamed and Mikel threw him into the wall of the tenement, bashing his head into the bricks as Slade stood to the side, examining his wounds. Robin felt blood on the back of his neck, and kicked out at Mikel, loosening his hold enough to fall to a heap in the cracked pavement.

Slade watched Robin as he leapt up from the pavement, narrowly avoiding Mikel's blade. Slade noted Robin's movements and quick reaction time. Robin was fighting admirably against such an advanced opponent. However, the assassin worried him. It took a man of considerable skill to wound Slade, and he had done just that, as easily as slicing through butter. Slade's injuries were already healing, but he was inclined to believe that the assassin would not leave until he was sure Slade was dead, which, unfortunately could occur, depending on how many pieces he left Slade in.

Suddenly Slade heard a muffled cry, and Robin was thrown to the base of the near dumpster. He collapsed, seemingly unconscious. Slade expected Mikel to come after him again, but was surprised by a sudden slice at his abdomen from behind. He whirled, and found a woman dressed entirely in black, a mask from her nose to her chin, holding a short sword on him. Slade immediately pulled out his bo staff, and began engaging his new opponent in combat.

Slade proved the better fighter of the two, knocking the sword out of her hand, and breaking her wrist for good measure. He soon had his blonde-haired attacker cornered against the tenement building. He forced her to slide sideways against the brick towards a set of windows. Her fists rained on him in vain, and Slade saw how he would end this. He struck out at her head with his right fist, driving her head backwards through the window. The glass shattered around her, creating jagged menaces in the window frame. He drove her neck down onto one of the glass spikes, and watched as blood gurgled from her throat as it pierced through.

Satisfied with his work, Slade stepped backwards, forgetting all about his other opponent.

"SLADE!" Robin's voice called out in warning.

Slade turned in time to see a glint of light reflect off of twin blades aiming for his neck. For all of his skill, there was no time to react. Slade watched, dumbfounded, as the blade neared him. Suddenly,he saw ablack and blue blur arcing over his head towards his attacker.

Dick somersaulted over Slade's head, his instincts taking over as he sought to protect him. However, Mikel reacted just as quickly, and Dick felt his blades slicing into his skin. He shouted in pain, but the sound of his voice was smothered by the rushing in his ears. Dick felt Mikel's blades cut in well practiced, automatic precision. Dick's head fell against the cold concrete, and his vision blurred. He saw Mikel, regaining awareness and control of his actions, stepping backwards in surprise, and then the whole world went dark.

Slade bent down and grabbed the abandoned short sword, lunging for the surprised Mikel. The blade sliced off Mikel's head in one swift, deft movement. As the assassin's body fell to the now blood soaked ground, Slade turned his attention to his unexpected savior.

He stared down at Robin's prone form. Blood pooled around him in crimson stains, and Slade stepped back as the widening puddle threatened to touch him. Somehow he knew he should end it. One blow would be all it would take, one blow and then the boy would be dead, and he would be on his own again. If he did not, then he would be trapped; trapped in this realm, trapped with this boy, trapped with no escape. Alone he could figure out how to get back to his home, Grayson had clearly given him enough information for him to figure it out, but if he was weighed down by the injured…

His fingers itched for use of the weapon, his mind shouted for him to attack. The boy would not even know it was him, he was unconscious, unaware.

So then why did he stand there, just staring? Why was he frozen, unable to move, unable to decide? He had killed before; quickly, cleanly, leaving no trace. Yet he never killed someone who was unable to defend themselves; never done something that underhanded on a job. Sure he had done horrible things to people, used blackmail and threaten the lives of those his target cared for, but he had never gone so far as to kill someone like that. If he did, then his entire 'moral code' would be destroyed.

So what should he do?

He could leave the boy as he was. The disgusting city they were in would produce someone to finish him off soon enough. But how was that any better than finishing him right now? The boy was in pain, every now and then his body would convulse, and he would cry out. He seemed to be going into shock. If he left him, then he left him to suffer and die a slow, prolonged death.

Again Slade prepared his weapon. It would be the humane thing to do, he told himself. Putting the boy out of his misery was the just decision, the only choice he could make.

'Just decision'? Since when had he thought in terms of what was fair and good? And how could he decide that killing someone who could still be saved would be justice. There was no justice in any of this.

His mind strayed to memories of people he had let down, people he had hurt and not thought twice about. His wife who tried to kill him. The sons he had forsaken. The daughter he abandoned. So many people he hurt, so many he let down for his own pleasure and his own selfishness.

His so-called moral code was another fabrication to make himself feel as if he were superior to others. He was supposed to be above them, more important.

And yet…

He remembered that instant of fear – an emotion he abhorred – just as the attack came, the glint of light that reflected off of the blade as it was raised. His own body stuck in place, unmoving, unable to stop what was about to occur. And then the streak of black that turned into a young man who hated him, who put himself between Slade and the attacker. The young man who took the brunt of an attack aimed at him. And who now lay dying at his feet.

What was just anymore? He owed Robin, he owed him his life. And that was not something that occurred often. He was in his debt, and yet, moments ago he had been planning to kill him. That was not the just decision.

He had caused this whole mess, and now it was up to him to correct it. And if that meant saving Robin, then so be it.

Decision made, Slade reached down and lifted Robin into his arms. Then he turned and moved off in the direction of a clinic Robin had mentioned vaguely. It was time to do the 'right' thing for once.

* * *

**A/N: **There you have it, Slade is being :gasp: nice!

So, what do you all think? Any predictions? Criticism? Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? I'm open for all of them.

Next up on my to-do list: If At First You Don't Succeed, and Oblivion.

Have a good day/night, and e-mail dlsky if you love this story!

See ya,

_Sarah Shima_


	7. A Cry for Revenge

**A/N:** I have returned with yet another installment! And about that updating Sundays thing... well, it was Sunday about 20 minutes ago, so it still counts. Anyway, I promised this update, and I really want to move this story along a bit. It's already expanding beyond my original template. Classes start tomorrow, so my updates will become more infrequent. But, never fear, I check my e-mail 10 times a day (at least), and I still put aside time for reading and writing.

Anyway, thank you to my wonderful reviewers, and people who have sent their votes in to dlsky! Thank you!

Disclaimer: See first chapter

* * *

**Doing the Right Thing**

By: Sarah Shima

Chapter 7: A Cry for Revenge

* * *

Soaking wet and bursting through the doors of the Wayne Memorial Clinic, Slade drew all attention to him. Well, the attention of Dr. Thompkins and one nurse who was working the night shift. Dr. Leslie rushed out towards the door where a man with a patch over his eye stood, a bloody young man in his arms. "What happened!" Leslie cried, pulling the man towards an examination room. Slade followed just behind the doctor.

She motioned to an examination table, and Slade laid Robin down on it. Throughout the trip to the clinic, Robin had begun to wake up many times, usually only succeeding in mumbling something incoherent before fading out again.

Slade stepped back as Leslie and the nurse began checking Robin's injuries. He watched as the doctor looked at Robin's face and paused momentarily as if she felt she recognized him. The doctor shook her head, and turned her attention back to the injuries. .

* * *

A long while later, how long Slade did not know, a man with white hair wearing a suit walked into the clinic. He eyed Slade for a moment before nodding at him in a congenial way. He walked towards Dr. Leslie's office, and then stopped outside one of the exam rooms. Seeing that the doctor was busy, he returned to the waiting room, and sat across from Slade.

"Are you waiting for Dr. Thompkins?" the man asked in an English brogue.

"I'm waiting for my friend. She's in there with him," Slade responded, watching the man carefully. "What about you?"

"I'll be escorting Dr. Thompkins home," he said.

The pair sat in uncomfortable silence for a while, until Slade reinitiated conversation. "You wouldn't know the quickest route to Wayne Manor, would you?" he questioned.

The man seemed taken aback by the question. "Wayne Manor? Why, no Wayne has lived there for years, why would you want to visit?" he asked in a way that suggested he might know a little more about the Wayne's than Slade suspected.

"My friend in there, he said you should never visit Gotham without taking a look at it. I hear it's huge," Slade said, taking on the air of a tourist.

"It is nothing to gawk at, sir!" the man responded angrily.

"I didn't mean to offend you, Mr….?" Slade said uncertainly.

"Alfred Pennyworth, Major-domo of Wayne Manor," he responded a little pompously. Slade grinned in spite of himself, this was the butler. What luck he seemed to have today. Well, other than the Robin getting sliced up part of course.

In the same moment, the door to the examination room opened and then nurse stepped out. "May have I have a word with you, Mr…?" she asked.

"Wilson, Slade Wilson," Slade said offering her a hand that she shook.

"Your friend? is in pretty bad shape Mr. Wilson. The magnitude of lacerations combined with the blood loss created a problem. However, Dr. Thompkins managed to stitch up the serious cuts and stem the loss of blood. He will need to be watched closely for a few days so that an infection does not form," she said.

"How soon can he leave?" Slade asked.

"Leave?" the woman questioned, taken aback. "Not at least for a few days, Mr. Wilson."

"Not good enough. I need to go now." Slade pushed past the protesting nurse, and was about to enter the examination room when the form of silver-haired Dr. Thompkins stopped him.

"What is this?" she asked, motioning violently at the room where Dick lay.

"Excuse me?" Slade asked.

"Who is he?" she demanded, her voice low.

Slade saw Alfred standing up out of the corner of his eye, and suddenly realized he was surrounded. Oh well, might as well be honest. "I'm going to need to speak to the two of you," he said, motioning to Leslie and Alfred. "…privately. Perhaps in the examination room?" he suggested. They glanced at him suspicious, but did as he asked.

Once in the room, Alfred spared a glance at the bandaged youth on the table. He studied the boy's face. A bandage wrapped around his head, but his black hair was damp, and a stray lock fell into his face. Alfred's eyes widened in recognition of the person. "I-It can't be," he said.

"No, it can't," Dr. Leslie seconded.

"Well, let's get right down to it, shall we?" Slade suggested. "This young man is my friend, Richard Grayson, heir to Bruce Wayne, and also known as Robin." He said the words in a rush to prevent from being interrupted.

"That is absurd. Richard is dead!" Leslie shouted.

"Yes, he is. However, as 'absurd' as this may sound, Robin and I were accidentally kicked into the wrong dimension, mainly this one, and now we're trying to find our way back." Slade enjoyed the startled expressions on Leslie and Alfred's faces, and the way they stared at him as if attempting to see if he were lying or not. "When he wakes up, you can ask him yourself. He can tell you what Wayne usually likes to eat for breakfast, or where you stash the sweets in that big house, or how to get into the lair." Slade stole a glance at Robin, whose eyelids were fluttering open.

"Even if I thought I could trust you – which I do not, there is no way I could believe such utter nonsense!" Alfred exclaimed.

"Al…fred?" Dick asked from the bed, his eyes partway open and his speech slow.

Alfred immediately looked down, staring at the person who definitely appeared to be the older version of his honorary grandson. "Wha's goin' on?" Dick asked, confused at the sounds and images around him. He could see Alfred's angry and flustered countenance above him, and Dr. Leslie's cross look, and immediately wondered if he had done something wrong. His mind felt like sludge, which he contributed to pain medicines. He turned to his gaze to the guy with the goatee who seemed amused. Who was he?

"You should still be asleep," Dr. Leslie said kindly, her worry for her patient foremost in her mind, no matter who Mr. Wilson claimed he was. She checked his vitals quickly and then saw his intense blue eyes watching her. "Go back to sleep," she ordered, administering a light sedative. Then she shoved Slade and Alfred from the room, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Henri Ducard sat in the back of a black Cadillac outside of the Wayne Memorial Clinic. Through the glass door he could see three figures walking around. One of his men was checking the perimeter and spying through the windows, searching for Robin and his assassin companion.

Ducard had been angry when he heard from his people that the employees sent to capture Robin had not only been killed by the mysterious man, but had seriously injured his original target.

It interested him to follow this man and see where he was headed, especially when it turned out to be the clinic of Wayne's friend.

As Ducard and his driver sat outside of the clinic, Ducard's mind mulled over the various possibilities of how Dick Grayson had suddenly appeared in Gotham. He had toyed with the possibilities of alternate dimensions in the past, but never put much stock into them, partially because taking over his dimension suited him just fine, and partially due to a fear of what would happen if travel between then occurred. Perhaps he was finding out. Either way, he now decided it would be necessary to bring both Dick and the man in to talk to them. If the man killed that freely, and was with a vigilante, then perhaps the vigilantes in their dimension were a bit harsher than the ones here, and perhaps some sort of deal could be made.

And if they were from an alternate dimension, then he would take every step necessary to safeguard himself from outside interference.

* * *

Alfred's eyes strayed to the room where the young man had dropped back off to sleep. "How could this be true?" he asked.

"I would like to know that myself, Alfred. We've been wandering around for days. We just left Arkham recently after speaking with Bruce Wayne."

"Bruce? What did he say?" Alfred asked, distrustful of Slade.

"I don't know, Richard went in alone," Slade said.

"I suppose we'll just have to wait to settle this until he's feeling better," Leslie said with a sigh. She watched as Slade quickly turned his head towards the side of the building.

"Someone's outside," he said. He turned to Alfred and Leslie. "Are there any discreet exits out of this place?"

"Yes, in the back," Leslie said. "But who could be—" her words were cut off as the glass windows were smashed in from all sides.

Slade shook his head and raced into the examination room, ripping out Dick's IV and scooping him up in his arms once more. Alfred saw him looking for the exit, and so followed as a group of black-clad men jumped in. Slade followed Alfred out the back entrance, and into a waiting BMW. Alfred leapt into the driver's seat with unexpected strength, Leslie climbing in with them.

Alfred took off from the curb as quickly as possible, and drove out towards the crowded roads of Gotham City. "Why are you taking the main roads, Alfred!" Leslie demanded.

"To blend in," Slade answered for him. "If we took a deserted street they would have no trouble finding us."

"Quite right, sir," Alfred nodded.

"So, where are we headed?" Slade asked. "We can't go to the Manor now, they might…"

"I assume these men were with Ra's Al Ghul, and he never discovered the entrance to, or location of, the Batcave. We shall be safe there. And then we can finish the conversation."

"Alfred…" Leslie hissed in Alfred's ear, thinking Slade could not hear her. "How could you show them the entrance, for all we know, they could be working with Ra's."

"When I looked into the young master's eyes, I knew it was him. I am inclined to believe this man's story. And I am willing to take the risk if I am wrong."

"I just hope you're right, for both our sakes."

* * *

Slade stared out the windows as Alfred maneuvered from main arteries and onto country roads. They had passed over a bridge a while back, showing Slade that the Manor existed on the mainland, not the large central island of Gotham. He memorized everything he saw in his mind, in case he ever had to come here again, and in case he ever needed to use this information.

Slade took his eyes from the side window, and looked out the windshield as Alfred seemed to be heading directly for a rock wall. Slade's eye widened, could Alfred be about to kill all four of them? He hastily prepared himself to jump out of the car, pulling Robin from the seat next to his into his arms again. Alfred saw his actions in the rear-view mirror and chuckled. "Do not be frightened Mr. Wilson," he said, and without further ado, the car went straight through the rock wall.

"A hologram," Slade said, releasing a breath he did not realize he was holding.

"Yes. The entrance to the Batcave is very well protected," he said. Soon the car was barreling through a watery underground passage. Alfred spun the BMW into the main cave, pulling it to a stop next to the now-defunct Batmobile. He exited the car and then walked to the other side, pulling the door open for Dr. Leslie.

Slade stepped out of the car, Robin in his arms. Alfred stepped over next to him, staring down at the sedated young man tenderly. "Here, let's get him to the medical lab," Alfred said, leading the way.

* * *

A while later, the trio sat with warm tea cups outside of the medical lab. Slade stood up, looking around at the expansive cave and dedicating each detail to memory. "Nice place you have here. But didn't the police search the Manor after Batman's arrest?"

"The police never discovered it. It is not a 'secret lair' for nothing, Mr. Wilson," Alfred responded haughtily.

"Please, call me Slade. I haven't been 'Mr. Wilson' since before I joined the military," he offered.

"You are in the military, Slade?"

"I was."

"And just how did you meet Master Dick?" Alfred asked, quirking his eyebrow.

"Well, in my dimension he heads up a team called the 'Teen Titans.' They operate out of Jump City, and I ran into him a few times there."

"So you're a vigilante then?"

"Something like that."

"But he told you his identity?" Alfred pressed, finding that Slade seemed to be… not exactly lying, just not telling the full truth.

"I figured it out today when we went to the Asylum," he said, realizing that Alfred seemed suspicious and hoping to throw him off a bit. "So, tell me about this Ra's Al Ghul person. I think he may be trying to kill me, so any information would help."

Alfred gave a wearied sigh. "What is there to tell, really? Ra's Al Ghul, also known as Henri Ducard, was one of Bruce's trainers when he first began his plans to become Batman. Ducard wanted him as a member of the League of Assassins. He refused. A few years ago, he devised a plan to wipe out all superheroes. He started with Batman, who he saw as his only true rival. He went to quite… devious… measures to destroy the image of the Batman," Alfred explained, pausing meaningfully on 'devious.'

"And these 'devious' measures?" Slade asked.

"By killing Robin, and making Batman watch," Alfred said, using the superhero appellations to distance himself from the words. "Batman lost control, hunting for Ducard. He began to kill, causing waves of fear in citizens. It tarnished the reputation of the Justice League members as well. Afterwards, he somehow gained access to several of Batman's files on the ways to destroy various superheroes if they ever went rogue. Ducard used this information to kill high profile members of the hero community. After that, he began his systematic plan of destruction and acquisition to form the 'perfect country.' I believe he has returned to finish Gotham off."

"Nice guy," Slade said for Alfred's benefit, while he could not help but internally applaud the man for such a brilliant plan. "So you don't know how he gained access to Batman's files?"

"No, they were under the highest level of security."

"Perhaps we should get some rest," Leslie suggested. "It's getting late, and we should wait to discuss anything further until Richard is awake."

"Agreed," Alfred said. "Come, there are some cots next to the medical lab," Alfred added, catching Leslie's glance that it was best to keep the entrance to Wayne Manor a secret, lest Slade was not really who he said he was. He looked at Slade once more, and seeing the ripped and bloodstained clothes, spoke again, "I will fetch you something clean to wear, Slade."

* * *

_Dick struggled in the water that was pushing on him, suffocating him. He strained to reach the surface and break through, but his efforts were not rewarded. His lungs filled with water, and he felt a strange sense of calm overwhelm him as his floundering ceased. _

_Then he heard it, a small, pleading voice breaking through the icy depths._

_"Help me," the voice called. "Please, help me."_

_The voice attracted Dick's attention, not just because of the words, but the tone, the sound. That voice belonged to him!_

_"You're the only one who can help me! Please! Stop Ra's! Save me!"_

* * *

The following morning, Alfred brought breakfast down to the Batcave. Leslie watched Slade warily as he wandered about the lair, examining the contents with his eye. He was wearing some of Bruce's clothes, designer denim pants, a T-shirt and a zip-up sweater. "Looking for something in particular?" Leslie called.

"Oh, no, sorry. This place is just… amazing. I never imagined the Batcave being so large and equipped."

"Well, it seems our patient is awake," Alfred said, nodding to where Dick was struggling to sit up in the medical lab.

"I'll go check on him," Leslie said, standing and leaving the two men in the main cave alone.

* * *

"So, can you tell me your name?" Leslie asked as she examined some of the wounds she had bandaged before.

He looked at her a minute, and then around him. "Dick Grayson," he responded. Leslie met his even gaze, and slowly nodded.

"So what Slade's been saying is true," Leslie said.

"If he said we somehow were transported to a near parallel dimension, then, yes, it is," Dick verified. He winced as Leslie pulled a bandage around the gash on his chest.

"And what happened to you?" she asked, nodding at the injuries.

"Slade and I were attacked by a group of assassins. They were trying to kill him, but I… got in the way."

"You and Slade must be good friends, you could've been killed." Dick snorted at her referring to him and Slade as 'friends,' but did not say anything when she cast him a questioning glance. Detailing his and Slade's history would only cause Alfred and Leslie to become suspicious. He was surprised they believed the story so far anyhow.

A moment of uncomfortable silence passed, and Dick decided to break it. "The Batcave," he sighed. "I haven't been here in years."

"Why not?"

"Bruce and I had a sort of… falling out. I left Gotham and moved to Jump City."

"To start the Titans again?" He nodded.

"How exactly did you end up here?" she asked.

"Well, Sla… Slade and I were in a lab where one of my enemies was trying to steal something. The fighting started, and somehow we activated a machine – some sort of particle disrupter. Next thing we knew, we were walking through a destroyed lab in Jump City," he invented quickly.

"You were in Jump City? That place was declared off-limits. It's a wasteland!"

"Not entirely. There are still people trapped in there. We stole some clothes from them, and escaped over the barricades to get to Gotham."

"And you've seen Bruce?"

"Yeah, I overheard Gordon and Bullock after I fought Two-face talking about Bruce being in Arkham. So I got in to see him yesterday morning. He thought I was an imposter sent by Ra's Al Ghul, but I guess he changed his mind once he saw my eyes," he explained with a shrug. "By the time he realized that, it was too late; the guards busted in and brought him back to his cell."

Leslie knew what he did not say as he unconsciously brought a hand to his throat. "Bruce has had a difficult time… accepting what's happened."

"So I heard. Did he really start killing?"

"Yes. His friends in the JLA tried to get him to calm down, but by the time they realized how far gone he was, the authorities had already apprehended him. The FBI saw this as every superhero suddenly becoming a threat, and warrants were issued for the arrest of all vigilantes."

"Was anyone arrested?"

"Speedy was caught in Star City, but he managed to escape, hasn't been seen since." Dick nodded, allowing himself a small smile that Roy had managed to slip out of their grasp.

"Has Ra's Al Ghul attacked anywhere else?" Dick asked.

"From what I've heard, he's been working to eliminate superheroes before continuing his final plot."

"I see," Dick responded, his eyes growing cold. "Hey, could I talk to Alfred for a minute?"

"Sure," Leslie said, still stunned that she was talking to Dick Grayson. After Alfred called her and she saw his dead body in the Batcave, she had felt such an emptiness inside of her. While that had not all changed, seeing him again made her smile. He was such a handsome young man.

* * *

"Alfred," Dick began, looking up at the man who served as a parent for most of his life. "I'm sorry to hear about what happened, with Bruce, and with… me."

"Thank you, young sir. It has been a most difficult time."

"I'm sure it was. To lose both Dick and Bruce…"

"Master Bruce never could find a way to express his emotions other than violence," Alfred said suddenly, as if he had been waiting to say those words until someone who could really understand them was present.

"And so he turned his pain into murder," Dick voiced that last part of Alfred's thought. Alfred nodded. "I guess it makes sense. But still… to think that he did that because of my death, as if it would be something I would have condoned."

"I've had the same thoughts, sir. And I've had a lot of time to think, spending these last three years alone."

"Three years? Wow. So you still live in the Manor?"

"Most of the time. Just after word came out about the Batman's identity I was forced to hide in the Batcave while various mongrels attempted to exact their revenge on Batman through me."

"Jesus, Alfred. I'm glad you're all right."

"As am I."

"Well now, you must have a lot of questions."

"Yeah, Leslie said Ra's Al Ghul was trying to kill all of the superheroes. How could he do that?" Dick asked.

"With Batman's files. Bruce kept files on each superhero he knew, with ways to take them down, should they ever go rogue. Ducard gained access to these files."

"How could he have done that? The only people with access are Bruce and me. And he must not know where the cave is, or he would have dismantled it by now. So how could he hack in from an outside source without the proper passwords?"

"I do not know. It's something I have wondered about for a long while."

"Alfred, what happened to the heroes? Is anyone left?" Dick asked, fear rising in him. How horrible was this world?

"Several were killed; among them: The Flash, Zatanna, Aquaman, Hawkman, Black Canary, Green Lantern, and the Martian Manhunter. Superman falsified his death, and abandoned his costumed heroics. Wonder Woman apparently fled to Themyscria to avoid confrontation."

"What about everyone else, have they quit?" Dick asked with a heavy heart. He knew some of those league members, knew them enough to not want them killed. And Superman quitting? How could he do that? How could he abandon the fight when the world still needed him? No wonder this place stank of hopelessness.

"Not exactly. I heard from Superman that he formed a secret group he dubbed, "The "Freedom Squadron" to combat Ra's Al Ghul." Dick looked up at Alfred. "He has brought together Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl, who you knew as Kid Flash – now called The Flash, former Aqualad – now Aquaman, Firestorm, Green Arrow, and Speedy."

"Good. I didn't want to leave this dimension in so much trouble unless there was someone who would be there to stop Ra's," Dick said, looking away from Alfred for a moment.

"So you will be leaving soon then?"

"Slade and I are on a pretty tight schedule. And now that Ra's is suddenly interested in us, we should make our exit soon. I want to go home," Dick voiced that last part with a desperate twinge to his tone.

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Yeah, I need to get in touch with Ray Palmer – the Atom, if he's still around, right away."

"Still around? Of course he is, sir. He's now in Gotham City at S.T.A.R. Labs."

"Good. He may be able to help me."

* * *

The Titans were unsuccessful in their research of dimensional planes, unsuccessful in their work to uncover what may have become of Robin and Slade, and so, one of their number had come to a decision he would never want to make, if only to save his friend.

"All right y'all. I may be able to find out what happened to them, and how to get Robin back," Cyborg announced suddenly, stunning the group of wearied heroes in the Main Room of Titan's Tower.

"Please, share whatever you have discovered," Starfire pressed, rubbing her temples with her golden-skinned hands.

"There's only one person I can think of who can give us some real answers," Cyborg began tentatively. He had thought long and hard about this, making sure they had investigated every other possible option short of shouting for Superman or calling up the Justice League, and he finally realized it was the only thing they could do. The others watched him, waiting to hear who this person was. Raven noticed that Cyborg seemed to be having an internal struggle over this decision, and wondered why. "That person is… my father."

"Your father?" Beast Boy asked. "I never even heard you mention him before! How could he help us?"

"He works at S.T.A.R. Labs," Cyborg explained. "I haven't spoken to him since my…accident, which is when he turned me into… this."

"It must be hard for you to even think of going to see him," Raven said, feeling his emotions of hatred and dread.

"Yeah, but if Rob's trapped someplace, then we have to help him. And if my dad can help, then I guess I'll just have to deal with my issues later."

"Thank you, Cyborg," Starfire said. "I only hope he can help in some way."

"Yeah, me too. We're running out of ideas here."

"I just worry that something may have happened to Robin already, and if so, we may never see him again," Raven whispered.

* * *

The large gash on his chest made it hard to sit, hard to stand, hard to breathe. But Dick did his best to ignore it as he ate, cleaned up, changed, and then went into the main cave to access communications. He sent Slade to an outcropping in the Batcave, out of sight and out of hearing from the computers so that the Atom's secret I.D. would not be compromised. Slade had learned quite enough already.

The Batcomputer responded to Dick's touch, and he found himself mildly surprised when he put in his password from three years ago and was met by access. He was about to bring up communications with Ray Palmer, when a voice from behind him snapped his attention.

"Now, now, _Robin_, it's not quite time for you to go yet," the smooth voice of Henri Ducard announced.

Dick spun to find him standing in the middle of the cave, smirking at him. Staring at Ducard, he could not help but hear the voice in his dreams, _his_ voice pleading to stop the man; the man who killed him and caused Bruce's insanity.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry to cut you off there, but cliffhangers need to exist. Anyway, I'd like to hear any thoughts you have on the story. Now I'm going to go to bed, but don't forget to e-mail dlsky, and review!

So long,

_Sarah Shima_


	8. A Declaration of Trust

**A/N: I just saw the Chinese New Year's Celebration from China, man was it cool! Okay, but moving on, here I am with another installment. I was going to wait until Sunday, but I know all of you are busy, and you probably wait until Sunday to do your homework and so you don't have time for fanfic, so I did you a favor and updated now. I hope everyone's enjoying these first few days of one of my favorite months. **

**So, read, review, tell all your friends about it, whatever, just have a good time.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time! I love getting feedback, so send me more!**

**Disclaimer: I own this storyline, nothing else.**

* * *

**Doing the Right Thing**

By: Sarah Shima

Chapter 8: A Declaration of Trust

* * *

"Ra's Al Ghul," Robin said, rising from the chair with obvious difficulty. He could have feigned ignorance, but really, Ra's had caught him in the **Batcave** at the **Batcomputer**, what stupid excuse could he make up for his presence that would actually make sense?

"Ah, so you do know me. How lovely," Ra's said with a smile. "I heard that you went to see your mentor, how is old Brucie?" he smirked.

Robin swallowed his anger, refusing to be baited by Ra's. "What do you want?" he asked.

"I want to know how you got here, how you were planning on getting back, and what you have learned about your colleagues since you arrived."

"If I knew anything about my 'colleagues' I would be with them, not alone in the Cave," Robin responded with a slight smile. Wearing some clothes that belonged to Bruce when he was a teenager, and as such were a bit too long, Dick reached toward his back pocket, where he had stashed his bo staff.

"Alone? Yes, about that… where is your friend, or… I'm sorry, your _traveling companion_? I must say, I would like to meet the man who made such quick work of two of my top employees," Ra's added in reference to the assassins Slade killed. "Although, I was quite surprised when he saved your life; he must have owed you a favor."

"What do you want with either of us?"

"Well, I'd like to offer him a job, but you… I haven't quite decided yet," he chuckled.

"That's all I needed to know," he responded simply. Throwing the staff upwards, he knocked out the light fixture hanging above them, plunging the room into darkness. Robin knew these caves perfectly, and so quickly ran in the direction of the Slade, and, consequently, the Manor. Jumping around machines, and moving as silently as a cat, he approached Slade from behind.

"Slade," he hissed. The villain, surprised, spun around to face Robin. "Ra's found the Cave, we have to get out of here. Follow me."

Slade nodded and let Robin take the lead, watching as the injured boy turned the lights out and then crawled around in the dark as if it were second-nature to him, which, of course, it was. Slade stumbled a bit when they reached a flight of stairs, and both quietly climbed up them. At the top, Slade heard Robin shoving something out of the way, and then a small crack of light heralded their arrival at the Manor. Slade entered the den through the hidden doorway, and looked around at the once-exquisite trappings. The furniture was covered in sheets and plastic, including a tall grandfather clock that Robin struggled to push back in place. Slade helped him, moving it quite easily.

Without a word, Robin led Slade out of the Manor and onto the grounds. It appeared they were on the run… again.

* * *

The four Teen Titans entered STAR labs through the front door, and received not a second glance from those working. Seeing superheroes was a regular occurrence for these people.

Cyborg apprehensively led them through the pristine white hallways of the immense building, he stopped just before an opened door, breathing hard. Starfire rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder and he smiled at her before walking in.

"Dad," he said quietly.

"Victor!" a middle-aged older version of Cyborg spun around from his desk, the white lab coat he wore catching on the corner as he stared at his son. "It's good to see you," he said, a wide grin on his face.

"I'm not here to catch up on old times, I'm here on business," Victor Stone, alias Cyborg said coldly, motioning to the Titans who stood just behind him.

"Ah yes, the Titans," Dr. Stone said abruptly, hiding the smile and assuming a calm composure. "So, what can I do for you?"

"What do you know about inter-dimensional travel?" Victor asked.

Dr. Stone stared quizzically at Victor for a moment. "What do you mean?" he asked, remembering when he gained access to another dimension, unknowingly releasing the thing that would kill his wife and nearly destroy his son's body. He only hoped Victor were not here to rehash that.

Cyborg sighed and told his father everything he knew about Robin's disappearance, and all they had learned from the doctors at the labs.

Dr. Stone sat with a sigh. "That's a difficult situation, Victor."

"How so?" Cyborg asked.

"There's nothing we can do from here to bring your friend back. And if he really has been sent to a different dimension… let's just say there's no telling where he ended up, or if he has any way to get back."

"That's not the answer I came here looking for," came the harsh reply.

"Your friend… is he resourceful? Can he look after himself?" Dr. Stone asked, pushing aside words his son spoke with such malice.

"Yes. He's pretty smart. Why?"

"If he could locate a similar device in… wherever he is… then getting back here would be simple."

"How so?"

"What I've learned from examining different dimensions is that every being has a specific vibrational frequency hidden in their genetic codes that correlates to the frequency of their dimensional plane. A dimensional travel machine would be able to pick up on that frequency immediately, and correlate it to the correct destination."

The Titans shared the first smiles they had in a long while. All Robin needed to do was find another machine, and if it had been anyone else they may have been worried, but this was Robin. He could do it.

However, the smiles faded in an instant when they realized that Robin would already have been looking for a machine. What if there was not one where he was? What would he do then?

"Thanks Dad. You gave us some hope at least," Cyborg said with a heavy sigh. "Come on team; let's get back to the Tower."

* * *

"Wait… Slade… let's stop," Robin choked out the words, his hand clutched over his slashed abdomen. The lush forests surrounding Wayne Manor acted as cover for the two fleeing men. The setting sun cast an orange glow about the area, and nearly blinded Robin as he leaned against a tree, catching his breath. Robin slid to the damp ground, pulling his knees in toward his chest. Slade sat beside him, staring out into the fading day.

"Slade… I have to ask you something, and I want you to tell me the truth," Robin began, seizing upon his opportunity to talk frankly with his enemy.

"All right," Slade nodded, wondering what was on Robin's mind.

"Why did you save me back in that alley? Was it because you owed me for saving you, or…?"

"Well, that was part of it. I do hate to be in anyone's debt. But…" he paused, choosing his next words carefully. "I would have hated for such talent and promise to go to waste so soon."

"Ah, so you're still holding out on the whole 'apprentice' thing then?" Robin asked, no malice or sarcasm in his voice. He really marveled at how life-or-death situations with Slade had changed how they dealt with each other.

"Maybe, maybe not."

"I mean… it's not like you need me to get out of here either. I'm sure you could figure it out on your own," Robin fumbled.

"Probably," Slade acknowledged, his mouth twisting into a smile. "But we got into this mess together, and we're leaving together." He paused for a moment. "We have been antagonizing each other this whole time. I believe a truce is in order. We need to be able to trust one another if we are to return to our own dimension. So, deal?" Slade asked, sticking his bare hand out at Robin. Robin stared at it, and then into Slade's lone eye, searching for some sort of counter-plan or deviousness. Upon finding none, he grasped Slade's hand, shaking it firmly.

"Deal."

* * *

Dick was only aware that he had fallen asleep when he felt rough hands shaking him awake. He opened his eyes to see Slade staring down on him, a look of worry etching lines in his forehead. "What's going on?" Robin whispered.

"Your friend Ra's has us surrounded."

Robin used the tree to balance himself as he stood, and peered into the darkness of the woods, making out ever-moving silhouettes of members of the League of Assassins. "Where can we go?" Slade whispered to Robin, conveying just a hint of how much trouble the pair were in.

"We have to head East. Any other way and we could run into the cliffs."

"Great, happen to have a compass handy?" Slade asked sarcastically. Apparently their deal to stop antagonizing one another was not working out.

"Well why the hell did you let me fall asleep? We should have kept going!" Robin bristled with anger, anger directed at both Slade and himself.

"Shut up, and lead the way," Slade hissed.

Dick put his hand up to silence Slade, and listened hard for the sound of water against the cliffs. It was a wasted effort, and with no compass or sense of direction, Robin just blindly picked a direction and took off at a near-silent run. The Assassins heard and began to chase the pair.

Robin ran blindly and without direction. His mind reeled with the massive amount of trouble they were in. Even if by some miracle they were running toward the East, Robin was in no shape for an extensive chase. They would catch up to him eventually. Getting to the nearest city would prove little cover as well. His only hope probably lay in Gotham with Ray Palmer, but now he was miles away. Robin saw Slade's back as he passed the teen vigilante, and felt a rise of anger.

"Hurry!" Slade shouted back at Robin, whose own response was a garbled mess of obscenities. It seemed it was every man for himself now.

Slade shook his head in fury at Robin's reaction to his order. The kid was not thinking correctly. Grouped too close together, they were sitting ducks. By putting some distance between them, it only increased their odds. And by Slade moving faster, the assassins were bound to follow him. Normally, Robin would have known that. It must have been the pain or fatigue. He knew letting Robin sleep was not the best idea, but he had little choice, in his state, Robin could never have been up for a long chase. And regardless of how much of a head-start they got, it was bound to result in this. Slade grimaced as he realized they would almost definitely be captured.

Robin stumbled over a tree root and fell face-first onto the ground. His nostrils filled with the scent of damp grass as he struggled to put his feet back underneath him. However, he heard a low chuckle, and spun in time to see a black-clad assassin approaching him where he lay. He fumbled for a weapon as the assassin reached into his own belt. However, Robin was saved the trouble as a bo staff crashed onto the man's neck with a painful crack. The man fell over sideways, gasping for air, and a strong hand reached down to help Robin up.

"Slade?" Robin asked, in total disbelief.

"Come on, if we are about to be captured, I would like to give them a chase they will remember." He pulled Robin to his feet, and then both spun around and began to run once more. As the clearing turned into a field, Robin suddenly realized they had made a grievous mistake. "No!" he shouted. Slade turned his head to the teen. "The cliffs! We're heading to the cliffs!" Slade turned his attention behind Robin and saw six assassins gaining ground on the pair. Ignoring Robin's protest, he continued to run at break-neck speeds.

* * *

Soon the cliffs manifested themselves, and Slade saw that he was running out of ground. He could hear the assassins coming closer, and Robin's haggard steps beside him. A foot from the edge, Slade suddenly jumped to the ground, pulling Robin down with him. The two assassins in front passed the pair in their momentum, and, their attention on Robin and Slade as they slowed did not notice their own impending doom. As they fought to slow down, the two plummeted over the cliffs, their bodies crashing into the water below.

Slade smiled, and looked up to see a circle of assassins around them. "Hello boys," Slade greeted. Each pulled out a gun and took aim. Slade looked down the barrel of the one closest and laughed. Robin looked at him as if Slade had lost his mind. Then two of their enemies pulled the triggers, releasing darts at Slade and Robin. "Tranquilizers? Well, why didn't you just shoot us earlier, then?" Slade asked, satisfied at their confused expressions as darkness overtook him.

* * *

Ra's Al Ghul spoke in confidence to his right-hand man. "Robin will not be a problem, his injuries are too extensive for him to pose much of a threat. His companion is another story. But now that I have discovered his identity, I should be able to solve this problem without severing his head," he smiled.

* * *

Slade woke up first. Keeping his eye closed, he assessed his situation as well as he could. He could tell he was in a small, enclosed space. The floor and walls were hard, probably brick of stone block. His hands were restrained in front of him, from his wrist to his lower arm. There was one other occupant in the room, breathing heavily, as if asleep. Other than that person, he was alone.

He opened his eye and took a look around the place. Not surprised, he took in the small dark cell. Two vents near the ceiling supplied the room with air. Slade checked the vents – immovable.

He turned to see Robin sprawled out face down on the floor next to him. A crimson stain had formed on his shirt, his wounds had opened again.

Dammit.

_Getting out of here will be hard enough without that._ As soon as the thought formed in his mind it gave Slade pause. Somehow, over the past few days, he had stopped regarding Robin as an adversary, an annoyance, a liability, and replaced that with something quite different. It disturbed Slade to think of, even as he realized that some part of him had always wanted it, a part of him that once said, _I may even become like a father to you._

Crap.

For all his genius, he was acting like an insane person. Was he sad that he missed out on his sons' lives? Yes. Did he wish he had another chance? Yes. Did he always want a partner in his business, one that was not just a business partner, but a family member? Yes. Was that always in the back of his mind when he encountered Robin? Yes. Barring any physical similarities, were it his personality, his drive, his passion that reminded Slade of himself? Is that why he had pursued Robin? Was he trying to replace the empty space in his life ever since Adeline forbade him to see his boys, Grant and Joseph again?

Slade thought back to when Robin and he fought the assassins. When Slade was looking down the end of the blade, an obvious harbinger of death, Robin's quick and fluid movements caught his eye as he arced through the air between them in perfect grace and balance, offering up himself to be butchered and saving Slade. It was what Slade always wanted, the perfect partner, someone who would work with honed instinct, someone he could count on fully. Robin met all of those requirements, even when it was Slade, his supposed archenemy who was in trouble. He had proved that he and Slade together would be an even more dynamic team than Batman and Robin.

And there lay his problem; Batman.

Did Robin fall in step with him so easily because he felt the similarities, or because working with a partner was so natural, even with Slade? Could it have been because of so many years of working with Batman?

A low moan of pain dragged Slade from his thoughts. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Robin stirring, and clutching at his injury.

"Hey," Robin said sleepily as his mind worked to cast off the effects of the tranquilizer. "Looks like I just can't get rid of you, huh? I guess all the single cells were taken," he laughed. Slade stared at him strangely. Had Robin just made a joke about them being captured by an egomaniac and locked up an inescapable cell?

"You're still under the effects of the tranquilizer," Slade said simply. Robin furrowed his eyebrows, his blue eyes intense with concentration.

"All right, I think I'm okay now," Robin said. "So, did you check out our new digs yet? Any escape routes?"

"None," Slade responded simply. "It seems we are at the mercy of our captors."

Robin snorted. "Then I should have written my will before we got to this dimension."

"Going to leave it all to Wayne?" Slade asked.

"Yeah right! I was going to leave everything to Alfred. With my trust fund he could go to Tahiti to retire. I can just picture him on a beach, talking to the vacationers: "Excuse me, sir, but that is not the way a gentleman applies his sunblock." Yeah, he'd be real popular," Robin laughed again.

"Did they happen to put nitrous oxide in your dart?" Slade asked.

"Sorry, when I get nervous I make jokes," Robin said, shrugging helplessly.

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a long while. During that time, Robin closed his eyes and seemed to meditate. However, he soon spoke again.

"Slade, do you have any kids?" he asked a he pressed a hand against the wound on his abdomen.

"Yes, I do. Two sons and a daughter," Slade calmly informed him. It made no difference to him if Robin knew; it was not as if Robin would threaten his children to hurt him. That was the plus-side to heroes.

"Then why didn't you want one of them to be your 'apprentice,' why me?"

"I have not seen my sons since they were quite young. I made a mistake that hurt one of them, and my wife at the time made it clear that she never wanted me near them."

"What did you do?" Robin asked, turning to him with an inquisitive glance.

"I let my pride get in the way of protecting my family, and as a result, my youngest son's throat was cut. He can no longer speak."

"Wow, I'm sorry," Robin responded, his tone apologetic. Robin paused for a moment, and then spoke again. "Hey, thanks for what you did back there, knocking out that assassin. I have to say, I was surprised. How indebted to you am I now anyway?"

"Well, without you we wouldn't even know where to go to escape – so, if we somehow return to our dimension, then we'll call it even."

Robin nodded. They were silent for a while longer, and Robin closed his eyes as if he were about to doze off.

Finally, his eyes snapped open and he turned to Slade with fear, "Slade, do you feel a little lightheaded?" he asked, his words slow.

"Yes," Slade responded, and then his eye grew wide. He looked up to the vents, and a steady hissing announced that some form of drug was being filtered into the cell.

"Never thought it would end like this," Robin sighed, believing that Ra's Al Ghul was using the cell like a gas chamber, and that they would soon die.

"Thought you'd have a little bit more time?"

"Well, I at least assumed that I would die in my own dimension. If we die now, no one will ever know what happened to us. I feel badly about that…. I feel badly about a lot of things…"

"We're not going to die," Slade said sharply, fighting fatigue as his mind slowed. "It would be illogical. Why capture us just to kill us?"

"Do I look like Ra's Al Ghul's secretary? I don't know. The guy's insane."

"No he is not. Everything he has done – or so I've heard, has been strategically planned out carefully. A crazy person would not be capable of that."

"I don't know, The Joker's pretty crazy, and you should see some of the plans he's made; some of the things he's done. Not everyone's a calculated sociopath like you," Robin added with a lopsided smile.

"Oh please, tell me how you really feel," Slade responded sarcastically. They shared a laugh, and then suddenly both broke off, turning away from the other uncomfortably.

"Slade, we're getting out of here together, right?" Robin asked feebly.

"That's the plan."

Robin opened his mouth to speak again, but was silenced by Slade.

"Shh, hear that?" Slade asked, gesturing to the hall. Robin fought to keep his head up and not collapse, while straining his ears. Then he heard it; footsteps and voices.

Metal scraped against metal as the door opened. Three men wearing gas masks stared down at the nearly immobile pair. One man stepped into the room and grasped Robin by one arm, dragging him to his feet. Robin put up little fight, the severity of his pain, coupled with the dreamy state the drugs put him in made him weak. Slade watched helplessly as Robin shot one nervous glance at him, and then was dragged from the room.

"Where is he being taken?" Slade asked, feeling strangely protective of his one-time enemy.

The man in the hall pulled his gas mask off and spoke to Slade. "That is none of your concern. You are to come with us. The master would like to speak with you personally."

"Oh wonderful," Slade snorted as they pulled him to his feet.

* * *

Breathing fresh air in the halls helped the gas wind its way out of his system. By the time they reached the 'throne room,' Slade had his mobility under control, and his mind moved much faster. The room was large, and decorated in red silks and ornate golden carvings. Slade saw Ra's Al Ghul standing in the center, a long trench coat pulled around him. His black and white hair was slicked back, and he wore an inscrutable expression on his face. He lazily took a drag of the cigarette in his hand, and then smiled as he caught sight of Slade.

He gestured to the shadows behind him, and three people stepped forward. Slade stared in shock at the figures. The first one was a woman, wearing a uniform similar to his; a copper and black mask that extended over her eyes and nose, stopping before her mouth, a black bodysuit, copper gloves and shoes, and a gun belt around her waist. A tangle of brown curls surrounded her face. On her left side, there stood a man slightly shorter than Slade. He wore a bodysuit of shades of blue, a mask covering the top of his head and his eyes. A Mexican gun belt slung across his chest, and a utility belt adorned his waist. On the woman's right, was a younger man dressed similarly, although he stood in a less domineering way than his companions.

What struck Slade the most was the looks of shock exchanged by the threesome as they looked at Slade.

"I would like you to meet Siren, The Ravager, and Jericho," Ra's said, gesturing to the woman, then the man, followed by the younger man.

Slade's eye widened as he stared at Siren, Slade would recognize that hair, and that body anywhere – it was his wife, Adeline.

The youngest of them all, Jericho, looked at Slade with confusion. "D...Dad?" he asked.

"Unmask," Ra's commanded. Looking a little apprehensive, the group pulled their masks off and Slade could hardly believe his eyes. There they were; his family.

The Ravager looked so much like his son Grant, and Jericho had to be Joey; a Joey who was not mute; a Joey with a voice. Slade turned his attention then to Adeline who stood so close and lovingly beside her boys.

"What…" Slade finally spoke. "How…? Why did you bring me here?" he asked of Ra's Al Ghul.

"I brought you here to offer you a position in the League of Assassins," Henri Ducard responded, enjoying the look of utter shock and confusion passing over Slade's face. "So tell me, when given the choice, who would you choose, your family, or Robin?"

* * *

**A/N: All right, so that's a wrap on chapter eight. It was a pretty action-packed chapter, and there's still more to come. But we are winding down to the end now. I hope everyone enjoyed it! Leave me a review!**

**_Sarah Shima_**


	9. Irony Before Death

A/N: I'm back with another update. The site's been pretty quiet lately, update people! Anyway, this chapter is really good (or so I think) so sit back and enjoy.

Warning: There's a mature scene in this fic, however, it's nothing to worry about. It's not really that graphic. Just thought you should know ahead of time anyway.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just the story.

* * *

**Doing the Right Thing**

By: Sarah Shima

Chapter 9: Irony Before Death

* * *

Dick could feel his awareness returning as Ra's goon tossed him into a dark room and slammed the door shut. Alone in the dark, Dick rolled onto his back, clutching at his flaring wound. He knew that the stitches must have been ripped, and was once again not feeling too certain about his survival rate. And why had they separated him and Slade? What was Ra's planning?

Dick felt the bandages wrapped around his abdomen, and made sure they were still tight. Then he leaned against the wall, using it to push himself to his feet. He felt along the wall, moving about the room and checking for any openings. He could find none. Switching to the next wall, he was surprised to feel cool glass beneath his fingertips. He slammed his fist into it and was met only by a thumping sound. "Bullet-proof… great," Dick sighed. Then his ears picked up the sounds of movement on the other side of the glass. He turned to it, but all he could see was pitch black.

* * *

"So tell me, when given the choice, who would you choose, your family, or Robin?"

Slade stared at Ra's with an inscrutable expression, attempting to wrest exactly what his plan was from this whole situation. As he thought on that, one of the soldiers undid the restraints on his wrists, freeing his hands.

"What are you planning, Ra's?" Slade asked, raising an eyebrow at the man.

"I am not planning anything. I am simply offering you a position in my organization along with your family, rather than have you continue on your doomed path to return with Robin to your dimension."

"And why would you offer me something like this? You don't know me, not really," Slade questioned, attempting to poke holes in Ra's words and find his plan.

"I have seen your incredible skill, and I know that you would be an asset to my organization, that is all. Besides, your 'double' in this dimension has been killed, and so I clearly need a new Deathstroke."

"Killed? Impossible." Slade noticed Joey flinch at his words, and mentally chided himself for even looking in their direction. He needed to keep his full attention on Henri Ducard.

"It was an explosion, his body parts were scattered and almost completely destroyed," Ra's explained, staring intensely at Slade.

"I thought you people had a way to bring someone back to life, what is it called – the Lazarus Pit, right?" Slade asked, feeling he was not getting the full story.

"Unfortunately, not enough of Deathstroke survived to be revived," Ra's Al Ghul smiled in a diabolical sort of way that would not register in Slade's mind for quite a while as he was suddenly distracted.

"Dad… you can trust Ra's Al Ghul," Joey said, imploring Slade to turn to him. Almost against his will, Slade did just that.

Even though every suspicious alarm in his brain was going off, even though he knew there was more to this than he was being told; standing there with everything he wanted most held out for the taking; he was only a man.

But still… he had made a promise.

"And what happens to Robin is I take you up on your offer?" he asked.

"What does it matter? You and the boy are enemies, Slade. Why should you care what I do with him?" Ra's Al Ghul asked critically.

Why should he, indeed?

He must have been thinking too intently, because he did not notice someone approach from behind until he felt a delicate but strong hand on his shoulder. Siren (why had she picked that name?) was standing just behind him, leaning her body against his. "Slade, please. Join us. It's been so long since I've been near you… since I've held you…" she whispered into his ear.

"But it was not me," Slade said harshly, removing her hand with some effort as he rather liked its feel.

"You're right," Adeline sighed, stepping around so she was facing him. "That's why you are exactly what we need."

"Excuse me?" Slade asked, confused by her words.

"Slade had gone soft, the appellation 'Deathstroke' hardly applied to him anymore. But I can tell that you're different; rougher," she said, casting a glance at him. "Just give it a try," she added, stepping closer to him and putting her hands on the back of his neck. "Just try."

Without knowing why, he suddenly felt his head nod, saw himself agreeing to work for Ra's.

* * *

As Alfred made to enter the cave through the den, he immediately knew that something was wrong. The sheet had been pushed back on the grandfather clock. The clock stood slightly to the side, exposing a deep chasm into the cave. Alfred entered with some trepidation, and was not sure if he were relieved or concerned that the Cave lay empty.

"Richard? Slade?" he called out, not really expecting a reply.

With a heavy heart, he walked over to the computer console he last saw Dick working on. The transmission address for Ray Palmer had been typed in, but he never got the chance to actually contact the man. Alfred could only assume that he had been forced to leave in a hurry, and the possible reasons for that did little to ease his mind.

Returning to their own dimension lay solely in Richard and Slade's hands now. Alfred could not help but feel sad – he had had his boy back for a little while. But now, he had to do something to help them – the only thing he could do – and hope they could take care of the rest. And so he verified the number and a connection between Ray Palmer and Alfred began to appear. He would tell the Atom about Dick's problem, and hopefully he would have a solution ready if Dick ever managed to reach S.T.A.R. labs.

* * *

Joey Wilson watched uncomfortable as Slade shook Ra's hand, Adeline's hands firmly against his skin. Joey had wanted Slade to side with Ra's, if only to save his life, but not like this… His mother seemed delighted, standing affectionately with Slade, never allowing their skin to part, but Joey knew what she was really doing. Slade obviously had no idea, or else he never would have let her get that close.

Watching the interaction made him feel sick. Almost as sick as he felt one year ago when he watched his mother rip his father to pieces.

Four years earlier, Joey's father Deathstroke received an offer from Henri Ducard to join the League of Assassins. After careful consideration and some threats on Ducard's part, Deathstroke agreed. Once within the organization, Joey's brother Grant was subjected to a similar experiment as his father, turning him into an immortal assassin; the Ravager. Adeline also volunteered to receive a power, and she was granted the ability to make men do whatever she wanted. Joey did not remember the particulars, but knew it involved an increase in pheromones. And so, just as mythology told of sirens leading men to their deaths, his mother lured males into her traps, becoming a successful murderer.

Joey had been born with a unique meta-human ability, so he was spared the experiments. However, he loathed being a member of the League of Assassins, and hated killing. More often than not, he lured people into traps and then let his family do the actual killing. He was growing weary and sick of the whole business, but since Ra's Al Ghul was going to take over the world, there was little he could do to stop it.

There was someone who tried, but he had been stopped…

A year earlier Deathstroke decided he did not support Ducard anymore. The man had shown his true colors as an idealist with a view of utopia, and a monopolized utopia was not what Deathstroke wanted. He tried to convince his family to back him against Ducard, but Adeline was more practical, certain that there was no way they could stand against him. In the end, Ducard caught wind of Deathstroke's plan and he was forced to flee. Angry that he would put his family in danger, and fearful of Ducard's retaliation; Adeline tracked Deathstroke down and killed him. She was sure to cut him up into pieces to prevent his immortality from saving him.

It nearly destroyed Joey to watch his mother do that, but he was forced into silence. He did, however, take his father's body in hopes he would one day gain access to the Lazarus Pit and resurrect him.

Joey turned his attention back to Slade as he was forced into his contract with Ducard through Adeline's powers. He would realize what was happening eventually, he was too smart not to.

But Ra's was much too close to his goal, and if Joey waited any longer to act then…

He finally decided; he had to do it now. And maybe he could get Slade to help at some point. Either way, there was no time to waste. Ducard and Adeline were distracted, and that meant Joey could finally begin a plan that would hopefully make his father proud.

* * *

Adeline led Slade to her quarters… well, 'their' quarters now… filled with joy. She had killed her Slade in a fit of rage and passion. How could he have done that to their family? Slade had no loyalties.

But this Slade… she would make sure that he never left her. She would not allow it. He belonged to her.

And he would enjoy it.

She closed the door behind him, tossing her clawed gauntlets on the floor. She pulled at the release in her Kevlar-nomex body armor, but was saved from the next step when Slade savagely ripped it off of her. He stared at her hungrily through his one eye. Her silk camisole rippled against her skin as Slade threw her on the bed and climbed on top of her. She ripped his shirt off, sliding her hands across his bare chest and reveling in the feel of his warm skin. She put her arms around him and pulled him down to her level, kissing and biting his neck. He reciprocated and she slid her nails across his back, moaning. Their lips finally met and her heart beat fast with exhilaration.

* * *

"_Is someone on the other side?"_ a voice whispered. Dick whipped his head around, searching for the source of the words, but he was still alone. _"What's Ra's planning anyway?"_ the voice asked, and Dick crinkled his forehead in confusion – the voice sounded like his. He then realized that he had not _heard _the voice at all. It was in his head.

"Great! Just great! Now I'm going crazy on top of everything else!" Dick sighed. "Maybe Ra's will send me to Arkham, then I can share a cell with Bruce." Then he shook his head in annoyance. "Just great Grayson, now you're _talking_ to _yourself_ about going _crazy_, as if that isn't crazy."

_"What was that? Who said that? When they said Bruce – did they mean **Bruce**?"_

"Hey, is there someone out there listening to my private musings?" Dick asked sarcastically.

_"Not so private if I can hear you."_

"Okay, this is getting weird. This ever happen to you before?" Dick asked, he was too miserable and in pain to take this as seriously as he should.

_"No, and I'm the one who's been locked in a box for three years. How the hell are you getting inside my head?"_ the other-Dick sounded angry.

"How are you getting in mine?" Dick said back. "You Vulcan or something?" Dick added with a laugh. Then immediately stopped, wondering how he could be laughing about this… whatever it was that was happening to him.

_"No, and I'm no Martian Manhunter either,"_ the voice snorted.

"Did you say you've been here for three years?" Dick then asked, suddenly beginning to figure it out, even though his explanation sounded impossible.

_"Yeah I… hey, did you hear that?"_

He had; the sounds of approaching footsteps.

A small panel opened in the door, allowing a shaft of light to brighten the space where Dick stood, a wary expression on his face. The evil eyes of Ra's Al Ghul appeared in the opening, and Dick could tell that if he could see Ra's mouth, it would be smiling.

"All settled in Mr. Grayson?" Ra's asked with a laugh. Dick did not respond. "I thought I should let you know that you're friend Slade betrayed you. He accepted a position in my organization, and left you in my power. So I do hope you're comfortable, because you will be here for a very long time. And to give you a view into your future, so to speak, I will turn on the light."

The fluorescent illumination blinded Dick for a moment. He blinked profusely until his eyes adjusted, and then looked back at Ra's. The egomaniac shifted his eyes ever so slightly as if to gesture to Robin to look to his left.

As Robin turned, he immediately saw that there was a room on the other side of the glass, and someone sat within it. Dick pressed his face against the glass to get a look at the person on the other side. Finally whoever it was stepped out of the shadows and walked cautiously to the glass.

Dick leaned against the glass pane, staring through at the figure behind it, who now stood directly in front of him. At the same height and stature, the pair gazed at each other through intense blue eyes, and both were equally astonished to see, rather than a stranger, a near replica of themselves. The only difference seemed to be in weight, the young man on the other side was much thinner than Dick, his hair mussed and overlong.

"It can't be…" Dick whispered. But the answer was literally staring him in the face. This world's Dick Grayson was still alive; alive and being held captive by his murderer. Suddenly the voice he had heard in his mind earlier made sense.

Dick watched as the other Dick spoke to him. He could not hear the words, but realized it was because the other Dick was not using his voice. Dick could read the lips plainly, and he clearing was saying: 'Please help me.'

'I will,' Dick mouthed back, a plan already forming in his mind.

"So, what do you think?" Ra's asked gleefully.

Dick turned to him slowly, clutching at his wound as he did so. _'Okay Grayson, you were a performer once, so now it's time for the best performance of your life,' _Dick thought. "Uh… Ra's…" Dick began, falling forward to his knees and gasping in pain. "I…" He stuck his hand under his shirt, ignoring the pain, and pulled the bandages away from the wound, wringing them a little to encourage blood to trail down his chest. He pulled his hand away bloody. He fell forward and collapsed on his injury, sliding slightly as he did so to leave a blood stain on the floor.

Other-Dick watched with wide eyes through the glass.

Ra's scowled, he had almost forgotten what it was like to have a prisoner who did not utterly fear him.

* * *

Joey pushed a hand through his blonde curly hair nervously as walked down the empty hallways of the League of Assassins' headquarters. He held a hard acoustic guitar case and a small duffle bag in his shaking right hand, his ears perked for any sounds.

As he rounded a corner a black-clad guard suddenly appeared. "Hey, you're not allowed down here!" he shouted. Joey dropped the items in his hand and faced the guard. His green eyes were opened wide and the guard stared back. As soon as their eyes made contact, Joey's body seemingly disappeared. The guard watched in shock, and then suddenly his body stiffened. He tried to move but could not. Suddenly his arms began to move, his right hand reaching down for the guitar case and bag. He was incapable of speaking and was no longer in control of his body. Instead, someone was controlling him… from inside. (1)

Joey moved swiftly in the guard's body. His metahuman ability gave him the skill to take over the bodies of anyone he came in direct eye-to-eye contact with. Because of this skill and Deathstroke's lack of loyalty, Ra's Al Ghul had always been suspicious of him. Adeline kept close watch over Joey to make sure that he would not 'go the way of his father' and put himself or the family at risk. Well, luckily his mother had no idea what he was doing right now.

Still inside the guard's body, he followed a series of steep stairwells leading down towards the basement level of the headquarters, becoming increasingly nervous. He passed a row of guards who nodded at him and let him through. As he moved ever down, the stairs became steeper, and the tunnel narrower. The stairs ended and a small tunnel appeared before him. He made to walk through but was stopped by a trio of guards.

"Where do you think you're going, Dave?" the first guard asked. "No one is allowed down here."

"Oh… I must have taken the wrong stairwell," Joey said, slowly lowering the case and bag to the ground.

"Well then turn around and get out of here! If someone sees you down this far you'll get in trouble!"

Joey did not respond, but pulled a gun from his belt and shot the three guards. They did not have time to react as a person who seemed to be one of their own turned against them. Blood shot into the air in a shower of crimson and splashed across the body Joey was inhabiting.

"Sorry," Joey said.

He walked down the tunnel, and came through a curved archway to find himself inside an immense cavern. Torches on the wall illuminated the room, and tapestries and fabrics hung from the walls. Joey saw a large area set aside for torture implements on his right, while his left consisted of a large pool of bubbling liquid – the Lazarus Pit. Joey stepped up to the edge of the pool and stared down at the swirling chemicals, curious and in awe. He reached his hand towards it and then quickly changed his mind; remembering that if a healthy person entered the pit they would die instantly.

He set the guitar case down, wanting to do this in his own body. He pulled a stun gun off of the belt on the guard's body, and aimed it at the man's chest. He pushed on the trigger, and an electric bolt connected with the man's body, just as Joey released contact. The man did not have an opportunity to scream before he collapsed.

Joey picked up the case again, and held it for a moment. After saving his father's body parts he had hidden them in the case – no one would find a guitar in his room a curious thing. "All right Dad, I hope this works," Joey whispered, and then threw the case into the Lazarus Pit.

* * *

Adeline, sated in her sexual desires lay on her back, the sheet pulled up to her chest covering her nude form. Slade lay beside her, staring up at the ceiling. Slade moved his view to the rest of the room, he had been too busy earlier to get a good look at it.

Even in what he assumed was the headquarters of the League of Assassins, the room seemed perfectly normal. An oak bed with cream colored sheets, two matching dressers, and family photos and mementos scattered about. It reminded him of different times; times that would never return, no matter how much play-acting he did in this dimension.

Adeline did not know, but Slade had been in control almost the entire time. He felt what she tried to do in Main Room, but he was too strong for her to overcome entirely. He only went along with it to have time to plan. Besides which, he would be allowed more free reign now that Ra's Al Ghul thought he was Adeline's puppet. He satisfied his own lust earlier, much to Adeline's satisfaction, but now it was time to get back to work.

He pushed the sheet off and stood. "Are my uniforms here?" he asked.

"Top drawer of the tall dresser, _Deathstroke_." The moniker rolled off of Adeline's tongue seductively. Slade could not help but think of his own Adeline, the woman who detested his role as Deathstroke. How could things be so much different here?

Slade dressed quickly, comfortable to be back in his uniform instead of 'normal clothes.' He frowned in distaste as he saw that his mask had two eyeholes. He turned to see Adeline back in her uniform, pulling the clawed gauntlets on.

"Aren't we the fetching couple?" she laughed, noting their matching clothes. Slade could not help but smile in return. However, the moment ended when a pounding was heard on their door.

"Mom! Mom! Come quick!" Grant's voice called through the metal portal.

Adeline hit the button on the wall and the metal slid aside. "What is it Grant?"

"It's Joey! He's gone and I can't find him," Grant explained, a wild and angry look in his eyes. "If he's done something then goddamn him I'll kill him myself," Grant seethed.

"Oh come now, I'm sure everything's fine," Adeline chided, but Slade noticed how she flexed her fingers as if preparing for a fight with her own son. This woman was a savage.

* * *

The door opened with a small whine, and Ra's walked over to the seemingly unconscious boy wonder with disgust. Dick waited silently and completely still for Ra's to approach, calculating his move to the second. He knew that with all of this power Ra's had to have grown a bit cocky, he would never anticipate this; it would only hurt his ego.

Ra's kicked at Dick to roll him over, and in the same instant, Dick grabbed onto his leg, launching his body forward and knocking Ra's down. "I'll be back for you!" Dick whispered to other-Dick, knowing that he would hear it in his mind.

_"Good luck!"_ other-Dick responded.

However, as Dick made for the door, Ra's caught his ankle and dragged him down to the floor. Dick rolled as he fell, landing on his back instead of his chest. "Let go of me!" he shouted, kicking out with his other foot. Ra's dodged it. Ra's smiled maniacally at Dick as two guards entered the room and sprang on Dick, holding him to the floor. Ra's stood, dusting his clothes off and chuckling in his throat.

Dick writhed under the guards' grip as they bound his hands behind his back and tied a blindfold over his eyes.

"_He,_" Ra's began, tapping the glass to let Dick know he was speaking of other-Dick. "…should have warned you about what's going to happen next." The guards dragged Dick to his feet and as they did, Ra's gripped Dick's chin forcefully in his hand. The man nicknamed 'The Demon Head' spoke directly into Dick's ear, his breath tickling his face. "I have a rather unpleasant way of getting what I want from you, and making sure that you stop planning your escape," Ra's laughed. "Welcome to the rest of your life," he added, and then stepped back, enjoying the sight of Robin helplessly attempting to break free of the guards.

"Take him _downstairs,_" Ra's laughed as he added a bit of theatrics on the last word, in the background, Dick could hear the thumping of other-Dick banging against the glass.

* * *

Joey watched with increasing excitement as the Lazarus Pit reacted to Deathstroke's body, bubbling and fizzing. He rubbed his hands together and crossed his fingers, hoping that it would work. Between his father's regenerative capabilities and the restoring power of the Pit, he should be able to be brought back.

He waited with baited breath as a figure began to appear from within the murky depths. A brilliant light shone from the Pit, and suddenly a head broke through. Joey watched with wide eyes as his long-dead father blinked, most of his body still submerged in the Pit. He seemed disoriented and confused, but Joey knew that was sometimes a side-effect, so it did not worry him.

Deathstroke climbed from the Pit, his two eyes darting around the room. "Dad!" Joey exclaimed, taking Deathstroke's face in his hand.

"Joey?" Deathstroke asked, finally gaining awareness. "What happened?" he questioned, and then saw the Pit.

"Here Dad, put these on," Joey said, handing him a Deathstroke uniform. Deathstroke complied and then father and son stood beside each other in the cavernous room. "Where are your mother and brother?" Deathstroke asked.

"I don't know, hopefully not on their way down here."

"I'm sure Adeline would love to get her claws in me again," Deathstroke said.

"Yeah… about that… something really strange has been going on and…" Deathstroke held a hand up to silence his youngest son as they heard voices and footsteps approaching. Deathstroke quickly found a hiding place behind a tapestry, and Joey followed.

* * *

"You're really in for it, kid. The Demon Head doesn't mess around. You're in for a world of pain," a guard laughed as Robin was dragged into the room.

Robin fought feebly against them. He chose not to say anything as he tried to gain any sense of his surroundings, all he knew was that he had been brought down, but that did not help. He needed to get the blindfold off, and escape.

The guards lifted him higher, and the cuffs on his wrists were locked into some piece of apparatus, resulting in Robin hanging from his hands. He had some idea of what was about to occur.

When Ra's Al Ghul entered the Cavern – as he called it, flanked by two of his employees, he was greeted by the sight of Robin hanging from a chain above the Lazarus Pit, blindfolded and bloody. Dick lifted his head at the sound of Ra's footfalls, and he could only imagine what the young man was thinking.

"Hello Robin," Ra's greeted. "By now you must realize that you are completely at my mercy." Robin snorted in response. "I have a few questions for you, answer them truthfully, and I will not harm you…"

"Oh really? Wow, awesome," Robin said sarcastically, gripping the chain with his hands to prevent his shoulders from coming out of the sockets. The chain was laced with miniature hooks that bit into his fingers and palms, but he refused to let go. "Fire away, Ra's."

"First some questions I have the answers to, just to make sure you're not planning on lying to me.

"What are the access codes to the Batcomputer?"

Robin rolled his eyes behind the blindfold, but really his heart was pounding, and he felt confused. What should he do? Answer the question, not answer the question?

"If you already know, then what's the point in me telling you?" he asked.

"Just answer the question, Robin."

"Fine. 10R38J92G72," he lied.

"That is not the correct access code," Ra's said, his voice devilishly smooth.

"Well, what can I say, I guess the access codes are different in my dimension than this one," Robin sighed.

"You are lying," Ra's sneered. He nodded at the woman on his right and she stepped forward. Clothed entirely in black, only her eyes remained visible, and those eyes were hard and cold.

Robin could not see her, but he heard her approach. Her steps were light and in perfect rhythm. He could have sworn he recognized those steps, but the woman he thought of… well, he only hoped he was wrong.

A cat-o-nine tails shot out of the woman's hand and sliced across Robin's already injured chest. He stifled a scream as the weapon ripped not only his shirt but deeply into the skin beneath it. Agony fired through him and he lost his hold on the chain, not really aware of how tightly he had been holding it. The skin was ripped and the ever-present blood made it hard to grip. The woman who wielded the weapon was no amateur, that was for sure.

"Feeling more talkative?" Ra's asked. Robin did not answer, working instead to get his breathing under control. Ra's nodded once and the whip slashed out again, ripping open the front of Dick's shirt and revealing his bloodied abdomen.

"Next question Dick. How did you arrive in this dimension?"

Silence.

A nod.

Robin screamed this time as the tips of the whip cracked against his skin, breaking the rib beneath the impact and sending a horrible snapping sound echoing throughout the Cavern. "It was a machine," he responded in between gasps as his lungs began to burn. His arms and shoulders throbbed from hanging and now blood poured freely down his chest. It didn't really matter if Ra's knew how he got there, seeing as Robin was vague on the specifics anyway.

"Where?"

"Jump City Labs. But it was destroyed!" he added quickly.

"You're right. It is destroyed, it has been destroyed for a while now. You're lying." Ra's words seemed so calm and cool; he may well have been discussing the weather. He motioned for the women to strike again, and her whip lashed out with painful consequences.

"I'm…. telling the truth!" Robin protested. This response was met by another powerful strike. A second rib broke.

* * *

Joey made to move out from behind the tapestry, unable to bear watching this boy suffer anymore. He may have killed and assisted in killing, but this… he could not stand torture. His deaths were always clean and fast, this was gruesome and disgusting.

"No," Deathstroke whispered. "We can't save him."

"Why not?" Joey hissed.

"There are more important things for us to do. Things that are more important than one man's life."

Joey hated hearing that, but knew it was the truth. He turned away as Robin screamed again, unable to watch any longer.

* * *

"Who knows you're in this dimension?"

"No one!"

This time the whip missed his chest and slashed the pale skin of his face, ripping the blindfold along with it. Dick closed his eyes as blood poured from his forehead and coated his lids. After a moment he opened them, staring down at his torturer. The woman widened her blue-green eyes a moment and then looked down in shame.

"Selina," Robin nearly spat the name in disgust. Catwoman was a trouble maker and a thief, but to become one of Ra's Al Ghul's in house torturers?

"Ah, I see you are acquainted. Then you know how powerful her strikes can be, when given the proper _motivation_," Ra's smiled.

"Now, one more time, who knows you are in this dimension? Batman?" Ra's pressed.

"I… told you! No… one… knows I'm… here!"

Selina's whip bit into him, causing agony as each piece sliced into his skin. He screamed despite himself as his chest flared up in white-hot pain. He writhed, attempting to free himself as perspiration and blood stung his eyes. The cuffs around his wrists scraped against his skin and did not give way.

"Tell the truth!"

"I am!"

The cat-o-nine tails soared through the air, striking him over and over. His blood streamed in crimson stains across his body, and he heard a popping sound as his shoulders were dislocated from the strain. He looked down as his blood dripped into the Lazarus Pit, watching the chemicals within bubble and fizz in response. He turned his gaze back to Ra's Al Ghul, a satisfied smirk rested on the man's face, his hands folded behind his back. Slightly in front was Catwoman, who stubbornly refused to meet his gaze. Beside him, a non-descript man stood, seemingly waiting his turn to wreak torture. Dick wondered if he would even get the chance.

His strength was fading fast, and his eyelids drooped as Catwoman's weapon ripped his chest open more. If he could look down, he was certain he would see nothing but red.

Ra's stopped asking questions, and watched the torture continue. Grayson had not been long for this world in the first place. His original injury had resulted in significant blood loss, and now he was fading quickly.

"One last question Robin, this one to save your life. I know that several of my enemies have formed a team to destroy me. Where is their home base?"

Robin could not believe the irony. For once he may have been willing to give in, and the question he was asked was one he did not have the answer to. The biggest joke of his life just might end it.

And where was Slade? That lying bastard abandoned him to die in this stinking cavern. Was he off killing someone and laughing at how foolish Robin was to trust him? Probably.

Dammit, dammit, dammit! He did not want to die!

"I…_coff_… don't know," Robin stammered, his breaths coming in uneasy gasps and his throat raw from screaming.

"I'm disappointed in you, Robin. Why protect them, they're not _your_ friends? One more chance to answer, or I tell Catwoman to strike again."

Damn him, if he wanted Robin to beg he was not going to get it.

"No," he said, the word spilling out of his mouth accompanied with blood.

His eyes closed unwillingly as Catwoman released three more strikes with her whip. Dick felt another rib break and dig inward. Although he did not know it, the rib punctured his lung, opening the way for it to fill with blood.

He vaguely registered hearing Ra's laugh before consciousness left him, and his world descended into darkness.

* * *

Adeline, Grant, and Slade split up to search for Joseph, which worked just fine for Slade. Using his photographic memory to trace his steps back towards where he was held captive earlier, he wandered the halls searching for Robin. He passed various empty and occupied cells without discovering his current partner. At the end of the hall he found strong metal door with no windows. "He must be in one of these," Slade decided.

He inspected the first door and found a small piece of metal that slid to the side when pushed. It revealed an opening into a tiny room. Slade squinted his eye and spotted Robin sitting in the corner staring back at him. He went through his utility belt and eventually found a device to break the lock on the door. He pulled it open quietly so as not to alarm anyone.

"Come on Robin," he hissed. Robin seemed to paused, and then he complied.

"Hey! What are you doing!" a voice from behind called. Slade swore underneath his breath and then attacked the guard. After a few moments, he bested the man and left him dead in the hall. Without sparing a glance to Robin, he grabbed onto his arm and dragged him along behind, hoping he was going towards the exit.

* * *

The Cavern was dreary, all occupants staring up at the hanging, bloodied, and broken form of Richard Grayson. He had ceased moving long ago. And though Ra's was not entirely sure, he suspected the boy was either dead or dying. His shirt had completely come off, exposing raw angry wounds across his entire chest. Blood still flowed from the injuries, through a mere trickle now.

"We have made him feel pain, and now we will break him," Ra's announced to the torturers at his sides. "Lower him into the Pit." The man to his left instantly complied, turning a wheel on the wall that fed more chain out, steadily dropping Richard towards the Lazarus Pit that seemed to boil in anticipation.

* * *

A/N:

-(1) I altered Joey's ability slightly for the sake of the fic.

WOW! A lot happened in that chapter! And now Slade is escaping with the wrong Robin, while the other Robin is being tortured, and other-Slade and Joey are looking on. It'll only get more exciting from here! Two chapters left to go!

Let me know what you thought!

_See ya,_

_Sarah Shima_


	10. Fright and Flight

**A/N: This chapter ended up hell-a long, so I hope you have some time to read it all in one shot! **

* * *

**Doing the Right Thing**

By: Sarah Shima

Chapter 10: Fright and Flight

* * *

A hand tugged rapidly on Slade's arm, attempting to get his attention. "What, Robin!" Slade demanded without turning. "How the Hell do we get out of this place?" he added. The tugging continued, annoying Slade. Why didn't the boy just _say_ something? "What?" he asked, spinning around to face… Robin?

Slade stared at the boy and immediately knew he had made some sort of mistake. Though the person before him definitely looked the same – same eyes, hair color, face – there were other differences – weight, posture, clothes, etc. – that proved he had the wrong person. This other-Robin looked at him impatiently through haunted eyes. "Who are you?" Slade asked.

Robin moved his lips but no sound came out. He appeared frustrated for a moment, and then rubbed a hand across his neck. Slade noticed the small white line of a scar on his throat. He could not speak. "All right, I'll read lips," Slade said. "Who are you and where is Robin?"

Robin. And they took him downstairs. Who are you? Deathstroke?

"Slade, and it's a long story. Should we go after him?" he asked, wondering how in the world he would get to Robin now that he was 'downstairs.'

Other-Robin nodded vigorously.

This was becoming more trouble than it was worth.

* * *

Dick opened his eyes to find himself floating in nothingness. A great sense of relief and peace encompassed him. The feeling passed when he realized that he was **floating** in **nothingness. **He looked around him, but all was white and empty, as far as the eye could see. A wave of panic rose from within him as realization settled in.

He was dead, he was really dead.

His hands clenched into fists and his shoulders tightened. How had he let this happen? How could Ra's do this to him? So many angry questions, so many unfulfilled dreams, so many things he should have done; could have done. And yet there was nothing now.

"Dick…" the single word of his name floated in the waves of emptiness, reaching his ears, and making his eyes widen with shock. A female hand gently touched his shoulder, her calluses scratching against his bare skin.

Tears came, filling his blue eyes. He felt almost afraid to turn around. "Dick… son," a man's voice seconded, and he sensed himself moving, twisting to see those standing behind him. There, still in their circus costumes, stood his long-dead parents.

"Mom… dad…?" Dick whispered, his words seemingly surrounding him. They pulled him into tight embraces, and as they released him, Dick knew his fate had been sealed.

"Then I am dead," he said, more to himself than his parents. Seeing them made him feel more empty than he could comprehend, and then he knew why, the guilt over how things ended with those still living, the knowledge that he would never see any of them again; well, at least until they, too, died.

"Dick, you need to fight," John Grayson said, his voice full of strength that Dick did not feel.

"For what? It's over, isn't it? Ra's killed me, and now…"

"Dick, honey, do you remember where you were when you died?" Mary asked, cupping Dick's face in her hands, watching him with eyes identical to his own. Dick closed his eyes and thought back to that chamber of horrors, and then remembered…

"The Lazarus Pit."

Mary nodded.

"Is he going to bring me back?" Dick asked, eyes darting around, searching for a sign of rebirth.

"Possibly," Mary responded.

"And if he does, you have to survive, Dick," John pressed. "It's much too soon for you to be die." He looked into his father's eyes and saw a sort of suffering lingering beneath the surface; a fear.

"I…I'm sorry, you know for making you worry so much," he said, referring to his nightly escapades.

"I never imagined that it would be that path you chose, Dick. But if it's what you want, then…" Mary said, smiling at him in a truly maternal way. "I could not be more proud of who you are, and what you have done. You have friends; family; people who love you, and those that you love as well."

"Sometimes I…" Dick began, but paused. He began to feel a strange sort of burning inside of him. Flames burst to life around him, tendrils of fire licking at him and filling him with unbearable pain.

"Fight Dick! Never give up!"

John Grayson's words echoed and swirled in his mind as the burning reached fever pitch and Dick let out a long scream of pain and anger, as if being pulled into Hell itself.

* * *

"AAAGGGHHHHH!" Robin screamed as his body rose from the Lazarus Pit, encouraged by the chain attached to his wrists. His heart rate had skyrocketed, his breathing abnormal, his mind filled with mania.

He stared around in rage and saw he was back in the Cavern. Catwoman and the other man had left, but Ra's stood before him, smiling wickedly.

"Welcome back, little bird," Ra's laughed, his tone demeaning.

As crazed ideas and thoughts filled his mind, another voice spoke loud and clear in the back of his head.

"_The Lazarus Pit can bring on short-term insanity when a person is reborn."_

Batman's lessons, drilled into him for years, reassured him. He slowly brought himself back under control, closing his eyes as he forced his breathing to return to normal. He swallowed hard, finally feeling calm.

Once the burning of rebirth subsided, Dick realized that his body felt completely void of pain. He pulled in a shaking breath, and then opened his eyes, ready to face Ra's.

"I must say, your counterpart lasted much longer than you during his first 'session.' Then again, he was holding out in hopes that Batman was on his way. Foolish child," Ra's chided.

"So this is how you brought him back in the first place? You dug him up and tossed him in the Lazarus Pit?" Robin asked; his tone conversational.

"Actually, I had his body removed from the funeral home, prior to burial," he laughed.

"But how? I thought for the Lazarus Pit to work that it had to be right after someone died," Robin said, Bruce's lessons on the Lazarus Pit fresh in his mind.

"Maybe in your dimension," Ra's responded with a sneer.

"So you revived him, and then used him to get codes for the Batcomputer? To get the files on the other heroes?" Robin asked, the painlessness wearing off and his wrists and shoulders beginning to ache.

"My, my, aren't we the little detective," Ra's snorted.

"Trained by the best," Robin sneered back. "What I don't understand is, why me? I mean, Slade and I would just have left; we weren't planning on causing any trouble while we were here. So why did you bring us here?"

"Because you're a _hero_, Robin. If you found out what was going on, you could not leave well enough alone. And I didn't need you bringing assistance from an alternate dimension to attempt to stop me."

"You overestimate the morals of my – what did you call him? – traveling companion. Slade had no intention of getting involved, or letting me for that matter.

"It makes no difference to me," Ra's said. "I could easily kill you and rid myself of you."

"Then why not? Why would you waste your precious time on me? I'm sure it could be better used blowing something up or killing innocent people," Robin pointed out, gripping the chain with his hands again, and feeling the sting of the spikes digging into his palm.

"Always so sarcastic, Robin. I am not wasteful; I do not kill unless it suits me. But you, in your ever-vaunted position as detective fail to see the methods of my actions. This is not merely for my amusement, though seeing you bloodied and screaming is entertaining, I also have to make sure that you can be _controlled_."

"Now you're beginning to remind me of someone," Robin said, thinking of Slade. "Do what you want Ra's, no one controls me. Not Batman, not Slade, and certainly not you."

* * *

"You're too conspicuous," Slade sighed, noting that Robin was wearing tan clothes that clearing labeled him as 'prisoner.' Robin nodded in agreement, walking in front of Slade and motioning for him to follow. Slade shook his head and complied, realizing that he really had been giving the Robins much leeway recently.

Other-Robin paused at a corner, and then motioned for Slade to go on without him. Guards, he mouthed. From that one word, Slade understood Robin's intention.

"Stay here, I'll be back," he said. Robin nodded dutifully.  
He waited, back against the wall as Slade approached the guards. From the sounds of it, they were greeting him pleasantly. However, Robin waited, and soon heard the sound of one of their necks being snapped, followed by a gunshot.

Slade returned, a black uniform in his hands. "Change into this, I'm going to scope out the upper hall," he said, tossing the clothes to Robin and walking away.

As Slade scoped out the hallway, he heard a voice that sounded strangely close. _"No, Joey. I know you want to help him, but we can't."_

Slade spun around, searching for the source of the sound, for the person whose voice was so similar to his own.

No one was there.

_"I only hope they finish up here soon. I need to get back up into the main complex."_

Robin appeared beside him and tapped on his arm. You look confused.

"Did you hear anyone speaking? Someone who sounded like me?"

Robin shook his head.

_"What was that?"_

"There it was again!" Slade declared. Robin finally understood.

He must be alive.

"Who?"

Deathstroke.

This was becoming much too complicated. What was happening now, he had some sort of telepathic connection to his other self? Just the idea was enough to give him a headache.

"Deathstroke, where are you?" Slade asked, hoping to work the connection and warrant a reply from Deathstroke.

_"Who are you? How are you communicating with me?"_

"Doesn't matter, call it voodoo, call it whatever you want. Fact is, I'm looking for someone, a teenage boy, 5'7", black hair, blue eyes," Slade whispered. "Have you seen him?"

There was a pause, and Slade could vaguely make out the sound of a conversation going on in the background, and then, _"Yes."_

"In the… downstairs?" Slade asked, lamely.

_"The torture chamber of the Cavern," _Deathstroke amended. _"Ra's Al Ghul, and Catwoman are here as well."_

"Dammit."

_"Is the kid important to you?"_ Deathstroke asked briskly, and Slade knew instinctively that his mind was running through different strategies.

"Yes. We were on our way home when that basket-case captured us."

_"All right then Slade, get down here and we'll see what we can do about rescuing him. I won't take him with just me and Jericho."_

"Understood, on my way," Slade sighed and then looked down at Robin, who was dressed in a guard's uniform. "Let's go."

They had walked in silence for a while, passing by other guards who either saluted them or nodded, allowing them passage. Slade knew that luxury would pass once Ra's realized he was a traitor. "Hey kid, can you 'talk' to Robin, let him know what's happening?"

Robin nodded, and then concentrated on sending his thoughts to the new mental link between himself and his counterpart.

* * *

Catwoman proved relentless. Robin felt so frustrated. They attacked him from a distance so that any chance of counter-attacking was useless. Hanging like he was, and without a utility belt or tools of any kind in reach, he had no chance of freeing himself.

But he would not give up.

That was what Ra's wanted, and just picturing a victorious smirk on Ra's' face was enough to steel Robin against that idea. Ra's wanted to break him, did he? Well he would be waiting a very long time.

_"Hey, Robin, can you hear me?"_

Robin heard the words in his mind as he bit back against another lash to his chest. _"Yes," _he tried to speak but it hurt too much, and so he hoped his double could get the message.

_"Are you okay? You don't sound good!"_

_"I'm… fine…" _

_"Robin, your thoughts are scattered, I need you to focus. Where are you?"_

_"The… I don't know… it's like a cave… lazarus pit…"_

_"Okay good, that's where Deathstroke said you were."_

_"Death…stroke?"_

_"Uh… Slade, the other Slade. Listen, Slade and I are on our way down to help you. Deathstroke and Jericho are already there, so hang on for us," _other-Robin encouraged.

So Slade had not abandoned him after all.

That, if anything, was an encouraging thought.

"Would you like us to stop?" Ra's Al Ghul asked, his tone patronizing.

"Nah, that's all right, keep on going," Robin said, flashing them a forced smirk. Catwoman's whip hit him twice as hard. He bit against his cheek to hold back his cry, tasting coppery blood. "That the best you can do, kitty-cat?" he jibed. He could instinctively tell that other-Robin was close, and so he needed to make sure that his enemies' attention remained solely on him. And of course hope to survive in the meantime.

"Do you have no fear of death, Robin?" Ra's asked.

"Not when I know you're just going to keep bringing me back to life," Robin said. "During the first 'session' I didn't know that…" he attempted a shrug, which only met with a burning sensation in his shoulders. "Besides, Ra's, what's with you, hiding behind Catwoman, having her do your dirty work for you?"

"I was saving this for later, but if you would prefer…" Ra's smiled, pulling something out of his coat. In his hand lay a small device. He aimed it at Robin and out shot two metal prongs connected to the device through two wires. The prongs struck Robin square in the chest and then came alive with electricity. Robin's head was thrown back, his body paralyzed. His mouth hung open but no screams came out; an image of horror and pain etched on his features. The brilliant light of the electrical surge increased as the electricity wound its way up the chains on his hands and them through the hanging apparatus on the ceiling, and all the way to the wheel used for lowering him into the pit.

* * *

Slade and other-Robin barreled through the guards stationed just outside of the Cavern. Robin's movements were shaky and slightly of-balanced, as if he had not moved like that in quite a while, but he was still impressive.

As they finally made it to the entrance, the pair of do-gooders paused in the shadows, hearing the prickling sounds of electricity. Slade saw other-Robin swallow hard and squeeze his eyes shut against what Slade assumed was a haunting memory.

Slade maneuvered himself into a position to see into the Cavern. And then he understood why the kid looked so horrified. The entire Cavern was crackling with tendrils of electricity, most centered around the lone figure hanging from the ceiling – Robin. Slade quickly ascertained the situation, contacting his counterpart to form a quick plan.

"Come on, Richard," Slade said as he mentally began the countdown.

* * *

_3…_

Deathstroke and Jericho crouched low.

_2…_

Slade and Dick separated, hiding in opposite shadows.

_1…_

All four fighters launched into the Cavern simultaneously. Slade aimed directly for Ra's, knocking the instrument from his hand and forcing him to the ground. Dick stomped on the device, ending the electrical torture and leaving Robin hanging limply above the Lazarus Pit. Jericho waited for Slade to hold Ra's still and then made eye contact, his body disappearing as he was transferred into Al Ghul.

At the same time, Deathstroke leapt into the air, sword in hand. He slashed the chain holding Robin and grabbed onto him, the pair landing in a heap on the other side of the Lazarus Pit.

Catwoman lashed out at Dick. He flipped backwards to avoid her, but his somersaults were imperfect, and he landed awkwardly on his side. She attacked him savagely, fear and anger propelling her rage. As Deathstroke left Robin and ran in to help Dick, Catwoman landed a solid blow beneath Dick's jaw, forcing him upwards. Robin looked up in shock as Dick tumbled backwards into the steaming Lazarus Pit. Slade grabbed onto Dick's ankle as he plunged face-first into the Pit. Dick's head disappeared into the fiery matter. Slade pulled, surprised by how the Pit seemed to suck Dick in. He finally managed to drag Dick back out and onto the floor of the Cavern.

Meanwhile, Deathstroke quickly unarmed and defeated Catwoman, leaving her unconscious on the floor. Joey-inhabited Ra's stood, staring at the dazed form of Dick with apprehension. A few seconds later, he had recovered, and quickly stood, stepping away from the pit.

Slade abandoned Dick for the moment, and made to Robin, breaking the shackles on his wrists and looking his injuries over. Angry lacerations covered his chest and arms, and blood dripped down his cheek from a talon that caught his face. From what he could tell, there was no internal damage, and Robin did not appear to be going into shock, he was just having trouble catching his breath.

"Let's _not_ do that again," Dick sighed. He paused a moment, and then looked around in surprise. He quickly pushed a hand to his throat and felt for his scar – it had disappeared. He smiled, and then it faded as he remembered what they were doing. "So, what now?" he asked.

"Good question," Robin seconded, rising to his feet. He had been surprised, but not shocked to see Slade's double in the Cavern. It was clear that some alliances had been formed while he was tortured. And he was willing to go along with it; as long as it meant escape and a return home. He really was lucky to still be alive at all.

"We destroy the base," Deathstroke said certainly. Everyone cast him skeptical glances. "I planted bombs throughout this place before I was killed. This entire base is under ground, enough explosive force and it will collapse on itself. It was always my intention to destroy it." He noticed that Deathstroke had covered one of his eyes, looking exactly like Slade.

"Are there other prisoners?" Robin asked. Joey-Ra's responded with a simple nod. "Then we need to get them out first." Deathstroke and Slade seemed about to protest, but Robin held his hand up to silence them. "That part is non-negotiable. We aren't going to kill anyone who's trapped here." He paused a beat and then continued. "Also, does anyone know where I can get some clean clothes," he said, motioning to the bloodstained pants and his bare chest.

"Actually…" Deathstroke paused and smiled behind the mask. "I have an idea that just might work. I need to get to the Mainframe to activate the bombs. However, I can send the codes to you, Slade. So here's the plan, Joey, the kid, and Slade, head to the Control Room, make it look official, get everyone out. And you," he pointed at Robin. "Come with me."

With a glance at Slade and an affirming nod, Robin followed Deathstroke out of the Cavern.

* * *

They walked through the winding staircases, Robin a step behind due to his injuries, and Deathstroke seeming more and more anxious with each passing step. Finally they made it to the main level, and Deathstroke roughly grabbed Robin's arm, dragging him forward with a menacing growl. Fear rising in his chest, Robin struggled against Deathstroke, but to no avail. The man was stronger than he, and he was clearly at the disadvantage; no belt, no tools, injured. What in the world had he gotten himself into now? Had Deathstroke betrayed them so quickly?

A pair of guards emerged from within the hall, and glanced at Deathstroke with questioning eyes. "Escorting the prisoner back to his cell," Deathstroke announced, glaring menacingly at the men. They stepped aside, allowing him passage. As Deathstroke walked near one of the guards, he squeezed one of Robin's wounds, rewarded with a cry of pain.

Once around a corner, Deathstroke released his hold on Robin, allowing him to lean against the stone walls surrounding him. "Sorry about that. I had to make it convincing," Deathstroke said. But something about the look in his eye told a different story, on some perverse level he thought it was funny. Robin regarded him with suspicion for a moment, but then just nodded. Deathstroke moved on past him, approaching a closed door. He knocked lightly, and upon receiving no response, punched in a code and watched as the door slid open. He walked in, disappearing for a moment. Robin glanced with interest, coming closer until a hand shot out of the room and pulled him in.

"Don't linger in the hallway," Deathstroke hissed, speaking to him like a third-rate amateur.

Robin let the words roll off of him, not wanting to incense this man, lest he suddenly change his mind or reveal his true colors. Looking around the room, Robin was disgusted to find it to be a bedroom decorated with black paint and violent images. He saw a trophy cabinet in the corner, filled with what were undoubtedly souvenirs from captures or kills. Robin felt his breath catch in his throat when he noticed a piece of shredding fabric mounted; the yellow 'R' from a Robin suit.

Deathstroke was suddenly behind him again. "Here, wear this," he said, pushing a bundle into Robin's hands. He looked down to see a costume folded up.

"It belongs to my son, the Ravager," Deathstroke explained. "No one will question you if you wear that."

Robin nodded, quickly discarding the pants he had worn when he left the Manor, and tugging on the reinforced Kevlar bodysuit. He pulled the mask on, feeling more secure than he had in days just from the knowledge that his appearance was finally covered. He quickly went through the compartments of the belt, memorizing the locations of weapons for later use.

Fully disguised, Robin followed Deathstroke back out into the hallway.

* * *

Joey-Ra's, Dick, and Slade were having quite an easy time traversing the halls of Ra's Al Ghul's complex. No one would dare question the master, and so they did not face any difficulties. Luckily Joey could access Ra's mind, and so knew exactly how to enter the control room with the correct codes and scans.

However, their luck changed as the galvanized steel door to the control room slid open. Waiting and ready, were the Ravager, and Siren. Behind them, the security cameras for the Cavern played the same scene over and over; Robin's rescue and Joey's possession of Ra's.

* * *

Deathstroke led Robin to the main prison of Ra's Al Ghul's Gotham hideout. Robin had to admit, it was dreary down there. With no windows or natural light of any kind, shadows lingered in every corner. Beneath the Ravager's cowl, Robin picked up the rancid smell of the halls. Rather than he metal doors that guarded the cell Robin had been in earlier, the prisoners were locked behind iron bars. Robin suspected that Ra's designed that intentionally for some reason, but really did not want to linger on it.

As Deathstroke and Robin came into sight of the first set of cells, they saw angry and desperate eyes staring at them. "Who's it?" a man at the far end of the hall called with a rasping voice.

"Just Deathstroke and the Ravager," another prisoner responded spitefully. "Probably here for another 'inspection'."

"Please… let me out… please… I got kids… a wife… please… I can't take this anymore…" the man at the end pleaded even before he could see the two.

"Don't waste your breath, he won't help you," the angry person said.

"Ok Deathstroke, what now?" Robin asked. "Do you have the keys or something?"

"Keys? I thought you were from an alternate dimension, not the distant past. We actually have technology here," Deathstroke snorted.

"Fine, whatever, just open 'em up," Robin responded angrily. Deathstroke was really beginning to grate on his nerves.

"Robin, Robin, Robin, have some patience," Deathstroke chided as he walked to a rather large machine panel at the front of the hall. Someone sitting in the dark back corner of the first cell heard what he said and looked up abruptly, blue eyes staring through the gloom.

Deathstroke pulled a glove off, putting his bare hand against an access panel on the front-face of the machine. It scanned his palm, and then the words "access granted" appeared on the screen.

"I thought you were a traitor, they still let you have access?" Robin asked.

"Ra's Al Ghul is nothing if not egotistical. Why would he suspect that someone would bring me back from the dead so I could release his prisoners?" Deathstroke pushed some buttons on the keyboard, and a moment later the doors to all of the cells swung open.

The prisoners poked their heads out, wondering what they should do. It proved how long they were there that no one ran out to escape.

"Run people!" Robin finally shouted, annoyed. "Get out of here! Move it!"

Finally Robin saw the battered and beaten forms of Ra's' prisoners rushing out of the cells. They approached Deathstroke and the Ravager with something akin to awe and confusion. "Do you know the way out?" the angry prisoner asked. The man's face had been bruised and cut, mutilated so badly that Robin could barely make out his expression. He could only wonder what must have happened to him in here.

"Uh… yeah," Robin responded uncertainly, turning to Deathstroke for confirmation.

"Help me!" a familiar voice cried from the first cell. Robin approached the containment area with caution, lest the prisoner be looking to 'pay back' the Ravager for something he did to him.

Wordless shock gripped Robin as he surveyed the blonde-haired man sitting in front of him. His legs were covered in metal braces that kept them splayed out and made it impossible for him to walk properly.

"Oh my God," Robin said.

"Are you really the Ravager?" the man asked, scrutinizing what little of Robin's face he could see.

"No… hell no…" Robin protested, pulling back the cowl and revealing his face.

"Robin? I thought you were dead."

"Ditto. Good to see that you're still kicking, Flash."

* * *

"Joseph, how could you do this?" Siren asked, anger masking her lovely face. "Get out of Ducard's body; now!" she shouted.

Joey-Ra's, Slade, and Dick exchanged a look, each knowing what they had to do. Slade quickly let Deathstroke know about what was happening before they made their move.

"Don't even think about it," Siren said suddenly, her eyes pinned on Slade. "Everyone in this complex knows about your betrayal. Even if you fight us, it will not do you any good. The rest of the Assassins are on their way up here."

"And here I thought it could be a family-only massacre," Slade sniped. She snorted and then turned her murderous glare back on Joseph.

"You would hurt your own son?" Slade questioned with disbelief.

"I do what must be done for survival, Slade. And a traitor to Henri Ducard is a traitor to the family." She looked at her son again. "You knew that, and yet you betrayed me, you betrayed all of us!"

"You're the traitor here," Joseph growled. "You killed dad to 'protect the family' and now you're threatening me? Soon there won't even be a family left, it'll just be you."

"How dare you!" Siren shouted. "I am not threatening you Joseph, I am only telling you the truth. You have to get out of Ducard. Otherwise I cannot protect you when the assassins get here. If you choose not to… well, you've seen what's been done to traitors."

Behind the feuding family, Dick grew impatient and restless. He would not be captured again; not when he was so close. There was only one thing to do.

Attack.

* * *

The Flash a.k.a. Barry Allen, dressed in typical prisoner garb, walked easily beside Robin. When Robin had noticed the state of his legs, Flash quickly explained that Ra's Al Ghul had broken the bones in his legs and then placed the braces on to prevent them from healing properly. Deathstroke was able to break both the braces and the badly healed bones. Once set, Flash's body quickly repaired the damage, and he was finally free to move around again.

Robin, The Flash, and Deathstroke led the crowd of weary but excited prisoners towards the main level, ready to crush any resistance that came their way.

"How'd you end up here? I heard you were dead," Robin asked Barry.

"Well, after you… um… died, Batman went completely nuts. I went to Gotham in hopes of calming him down, talk to him, something… but when I got there, I found the League of Assassins after me. They managed to do me in pretty good, and I think some reporters witnessed my 'death.' Then they brought me here, where I have been ever since."

"Sorry," Robin said.

"So what about you, Mister-risen-from-the-dead?" Flash asked.

"I'm not actually the Robin you know…" Robin began. He gave the Flash a very short version of the recent events, the one-time JLA member listening raptly.

His story was interrupted by Deathstroke's voice. "Robin. Slade's encountered some trouble in the Control Room, they've been found out."

"Crap," Robin cursed. "Wait, we have to think about this for a minute. If Slade, Joey, and Dick are captured, then our only hopes of getting out of this hell-hole rest in you. So I don't think you should go storm the party up there." Deathstroke looked about to protest, but Robin silenced him with an upraised hand. "Flash and I will go up, see if we can help. Otherwise, it's all on you. Get the rest of the prisoners, and then head for the control room, but stay a safe distance from the control room."

"All right," Deathstroke said. "I'll try to keep them quiet too," he added, gesturing to the prisoners. Deathstroke gave Flash directions to the Control Room, watching as he took off, Robin in his arms, to assist the others.

* * *

Dick launched into the air, kicking Ra's in the head as he did. He aimed his fist at Siren, but was stopped by the sudden appearance of the Ravager. Dick's stomach lurched as he landed and then jumped out of the way of the Ravager's punches. He hated many people in that organization, but he especially hated the Ravager. The Ravager was the one who captured him when he and Batman were breaking up a mugging; The Ravager was responsible for him being tortured nearly to death and then thrown on the stage to await the arrival of Batman. And he hated that man with every fiber of his being, and all he felt as he attacked was blind rage.

Joey-Ra's fell over with the force of Dick's kick, and Joseph knew exactly why he did it. Phasing out of Ra's' body, Jericho quickly pulled handcuffs from his belt and restrained the semi-conscious mastermind. Then he turned his attention to his mother, who seemed to be having a staring contest with Slade, neither wanting to make the first move. In the background, Dick was fighting the Ravager, his moves sloppy from disuse, and anger. Joey instantly threw himself into battle with his older brother.

The Ravager pulled a double flail off of his belt – two steel balls with two inch long spikes connected to a handle by a long metal chain. He swung the archaic weapon at Dick, who thankfully ducked. Jericho took advantage of the momentary opening and pushed Ravager, sending him to the ground. He was up in a matter of seconds, swinging his weapon everywhere. He managed to hit Dick in the leg, sending the teen to his knees, gasping in pain.

Siren and Slade watched impassively as the trio proceeded to fight each other. Both seemed torn, their two sons were on opposite sides, and they both knew that Dick and Jericho were outmatched. Grant (the Ravager) was so suspicious of his older brother that he put red bug-like lenses in his cowl to prevent eye contact from being established. For his part, Dick was trying valiantly, but three years in captivity had taken their toll. And then there was Jericho, whose distaste of killing kept him from mastering any martial arts, and his devotion to his brother strayed in his conscious as he fought.

Dick took a blow from Grant to the head, and crashed to the ground painfully. Jericho tried to make a stand, but in no time the Ravager had him crying in pain, completely open and helpless. A malicious grin on his lips, the Ravager raised his flail to strike his brother down. As the weapon descended, a second flail appeared out of nowhere, soaring through the air towards Grant. It struck him full in the face, and he dropped his weapon with a screech.

Everyone looked and saw Robin and the Flash standing in the doorway. "Jesus, Slade. What is this, the Saturday afternoon movie? Were you planning on helping out, or should I have just brought some popcorn?"

"Sarcastic as ever I see," Slade responded, recognizing Robin's stature and voice even beneath a spare Ravager cowl, and wondering who the man standing beside Robin could possibly be; probably another ally on the seemingly endless trail of defunct vigilantes in this dimension.

"And you're useless as ever," Robin sniped, as he kneeled beside Dick, checking his injuries.

"Grant?" Siren asked, staring at Robin, who actually was much too short to be Grant. "Just how many people came into this dimension, anyway?" she demanded.

"Definitely not your son, psycho," Robin responded.

She shook her head, and went to Grant, who lay bleeding and temporarily blinded. It was too early to tell how much damage the flail did as Grant refused to move his hands from the wounds, crying and screaming. She finally ripped his hands away and took in the sight of his punctured and mutilated face. The spikes had torn deep wounds in his skin, and he was covered in blood.

She abruptly turned on the others in the room, a look of pure anger and revenge on her features. Clearly Grant was her favorite, and now that he had been hurt…

"I will kill you all for this!" she shouted, her gaze resting momentarily on each person. Slade was still in front of her, and so her rage was directed at him. "What Ducard did not tell you was that Deathstroke did not die in an explosion! I killed him! I ripped him to pieces with my own hands!" Adeline screeched, her claws in front of her, ready to attack.

"Oh shut UP, lady!" Robin shouted as he flipped over Slade's head and kicked her in the face. She fell, and before she could get back on her feet, Joey had made contact. Adeline's body went rigid, and then she smiled.

"Thanks Robin. Now we just need to get a hold of Dad and get out of here."

"Already taken care of," Deathstroke announced from the doorway. "I need someone to escort the prisoners out, someone who could easily get past the guards."

"I will!" Flash volunteered. "It seems like you guys all have some sort of plan, and I'm just itching to do something useful."

"Do you know the way?" Deathstroke asked.

"Of course. I was conscious when I got in here, and I basically memorized the route in case I ever got a chance to escape. I'll see you guys on the other side!" He made to leave, and then instead charged in. He kicked Ra's Al Ghul, hard, rendering him unconscious. "You deserve more than that you bastard," he spat, before turning. "All right prisoners, this way please."

* * *

The scene in the Control Room was one of tense anticipation. Slade stood in the hallway, keeping watch for the League of Assassins members who were apparently 'on their way.' Robin sat in the far corner, next to Dick, wrapping his wounds as best as he could. Deathstroke leaned over the work panel, working to activate his explosives, while Jericho-Siren stood supportively close, hoping that it would happen soon. In the middle of the room were Ra's Al Ghul, and the Ravager, both restrained.

"So, have you seen Bruce?" Dick asked as Robin pulled a strip of cloth uncomfortably tight around his thigh.

"Yes."

"How is he?"

"…not good," Robin responded, not sure if he wanted to be the one to tell Dick about what happened.

"What do you mean? Come on, tell me, trust me, I can take it," Dick sighed.

"He's in Arkham," Robin said simply. Dick looked up at him with surprised eyes. "After you… 'died'… he went crazy, apparently he was so intent on revenge that he began killing, eventually the police caught up with him. Gordon shot him and they arrested him. Batman's secret ID was plastered all over every newspaper, and he was declared unfit to stand trial, remanding him to Arkham."

"I would like to say I'm shocked, but… I'm not," Dick responded. "He's wallowing, isn't he?"

"He looked pretty haunted when I saw him, then he thought I worked for Ra's and tried to kill me. I think he'll be happy to hear you're alive."

"Nothing's ever going to be the same again," Dick said. "Even if we escape, even if I go home; this changed everything. I've been dead for three years; here for three years… I just can't believe it all got so bad…"

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," Robin replied, truly meaning it. He felt Dick's anguish as if it were his own, and attributed it more to their mental link than to any sort of empathy.

"At least things are okay in your dimension, right? You still get to see Bruce, and go out at night…" Dick said, his voice swelling with the remembered joys of a time that seemed so far away now; out of reach.

"Well… Bruce and I had a sort of 'falling out' three years ago. I haven't spoken to him since," Robin explained, feeling an enormous wave of guilt and regret as Dick's blue eyes bored into him with questions of why. "I was shot by the Joker, and he fired me."

"He was probably afraid, you know how Bruce is about the people he loves," Dick sighed.

"Yeah, but I couldn't take it anymore. I left, joined up with some teens and started another group of Teen Titans, based out of Jump City," he paused, not wanting to talk about his relationship with Bruce anymore. "When we get out of here, you should really go to Alfred, he seems lonely."

"I'll bet," Dick replied. "And probably blaming himself for everything. It's what we Bat-clan men always seem to do," he said wryly.

"You've got that right."

* * *

They sat in stiff silence for a moment before Dick spoke up. "I thought Siren said the rest of the Assassins were on their way up here? I mean… it's been a while, if they were coming…?"

"She was bluffing so we would give up," Joseph-Adeline responded.

* * *

Everyone was so focused on their own thoughts, that they completely missed the warning signs. The Ravager broke the bonds that held him, and leapt at Robin and Dick with a cry of guttural rage. Robin shoved Dick out of the way in time to be knocked flat on his back by the assassin. Grant had removed his bloody and ripped cowl, revealing his quickly-healing face and contorted expression of anger. He straddled Robin who was kicking and trying to fight him off, ripping Robin's mask off, and punching his face over and over again. Robin struck out with his fingers, jamming one into Grant's eye. Grant howled in pain and put both hands to it, giving Robin the opening he needed to shove Grant off of him and scramble to his feet.

Meanwhile, Ra's Al Ghul had also gotten free. Using Grant and Robin's fight as a distraction, he grabbed a staff from within his coat and whipped it at Deathstroke. Joey made to assist, but his attention was pulled into the hall when he heard a vehement exclamation from Slade and the cracking of a whip. Catwoman's body appeared, flying down the hallway past the door from an attack by Slade.

Jericho-Siren leapt at Ra's Al Ghul, sinking claws into his back. The egomaniac spun around, smashing his attacker in the skull with the staff, hard enough to lose consciousness. Jericho jumped out of Siren's body as she collapsed.

During the momentary distraction, Deathstroke hurriedly finished the protocol to destroy the hideout. The countdown began; 5 minutes.

Behind him, Dick and Robin were double-teaming Grant. Robin stole a glance at the computers, and, noting the countdown, pulled a handful of smoke pellets from his pocket. "Run!" he called, tossing the bombs. Bursts of thick black smoke erupted in the room, distracting those who were fighting. Dick and Robin immediately turned and ran. Jericho stopped to collect his mother's fallen form, and then followed, Deathstroke just behind.

In the hall, Deathstroke and Jericho ran ahead, while Dick and Robin paused. Slade stood over Catwoman, who was bleeding and bruised, and looking as if she were seriously considering not attacking him anymore. "Slade, come on, the place is about to go up," Robin said. Slade nodded, leaving Catwoman and heading for the exit.

Dick's injured leg began to give out beneath him, so Robin wrapped his counterpart's arm around his neck, holding him up as they ran for it. The people in front of them became farther and farther away, and Robin began to panic. Getting blown up in Ra's Al Ghul's hideout was not exactly part of the plan.

* * *

The ink black sky outlined one man waiting in a seemingly abandoned parking lot. Barry paced back and forth, watching the hatch he had left open, waiting for someone to emerge. His legs were beginning to throb after so much time spent unused, and he began to fidget in worry and anticipation. The other prisoners had taken off as soon as they reached solid ground, and Barry did not blame them in the least. Part of him wanted to run away and never look back, but Robin had saved him, and the least he could do was make sure he and the other Robin got out okay.

"Robin come on kid, come on," he chanted, his mind straying to the myriad of possible things that were preventing them from escaping.

Finally he saw people beginning to emerge.

* * *

A long powerful whip wrapped around Robin's arm. "Catwoman, what the—" he began, turning his head as the person on the other end pulled harshly. He released his hold on Dick and was thrown against the wall.

"No escape for little birds," a smooth voice announced. The woman strode up to him, her body lithe and thin like a dancer, but muscular and dangerous as a warrior. Her sleek black hair had been cropped short around her face, and a pair of harsh brown almond shaped eyes stared at Robin. She held Catwoman's whip in her hand, idly flicking it at the floor. The latter stood just behind her, cradling a broken arm.

"Lady Shiva," Robin gasped. He did not have time for this. A battle with the world's greatest martial artist would definitely take more than five minutes. "This place is going down! It's set to self-destruct!"

"Lying doesn't suit you," she responded, tossing the whip down. Dick looked between Robin and Shiva, as if sizing up the chances.

"Dick! Get the hell out of here! Now!" Robin shouted. Dick seemed about to protest. _"Seriously, go! I have a better chance of getting away from her than you do, and you know it! No arguments!" _Robin mentally snarled, using his best Bat-voice.

_"You better be right behind me,"_ Dick said back, attempting a run as their allies backs disappeared in the distance.

Robin watched him go and then turned his attention back to Shiva and Catwoman. "Shiva, I'm not lying. Go see for yourself in the Control Room, the countdown's begun. And I don't know about you, but as exciting as a fight against you would be, I would much rather get out of here in one piece."

Shiva seemed to be scrutinizing him. Robin knew that she read body movement like a language, and only hoped that she could tell he was being honest, he needed her to believe him, he needed to get out of here.

Shiva looked at him suspiciously, and then marched purposefully to the Control Room door, her eyes on him the whole time. She glanced briefly in the room and saw the countdown: 3 minutes.

Releasing a snarl, she ran past Catwoman and Robin and towards the exit. Behind here were the other Assassins, who had been hiding just out of sight to watch her kill. Robin followed the assassins with a growing sense of desperation. He did not even know where the exit was.

* * *

As Slade emerged with the others, he turned, waiting for Robin and Dick to cross the threshold so they could leave. When Dick arrived alone, Slade anxiously checked his watch. Robin only had two minutes left, where was he? "Where's Robin?" Slade demanded.

"He was stopped by Lady Shiva… they looked about to fight," Dick responded.

Without a word, Slade turned and rushed back into the base.

* * *

Pushed back behind what seemed to be every employee – was that a good term? Maybe henchmen? Flunkies? Thugs? Whatever – Robin was now losing hope of getting out of there alive. They were all in too close. He tried vaulting into the melee, but was only shoved down and trampled.

He paused to catch his breath, his heart beating fast with adrenaline and fear, his chest burning from the wounds and electrical surge, his face had swelled from his fight with the Ravager, one eye now closed more than the other. He was running out of energy, dark spots appearing on his vision even as he tried to muster up enough strength.

Through the sound of trampling feet, Robin could make out one word being shouted. "Robin! Robin!" He looked up, straining his eyes to see who it could be. He was surprised and relieved as he watched Slade shoving through the Assassins towards him. He reached out and grabbed Robin's arm, half-carrying, half-dragging him through the crowds. Slade's larger size and greater strength made it easier for him to fight through.

"You came back for me?" Robin asked in disbelief.

"We had a deal. We're going home."

* * *

With half a minute to spare, Robin and Slade emerged from the underground complex. Barry, Dick, and Jericho greeted them at the end, motioning for them to make a run for it. The ground raced towards where Deathstroke stood at a safe distance, far behind him, Grant stood with Adeline in his arms. They reached Deathstroke and then turned as time ran out on the bombs.

A magnificent explosion rocked the ground, the concrete hiding the base cracked and blew up, shrapnel flying everywhere. And then, as Deathstroke predicted, the base caved in on itself, dust and concrete settling around it.

The few members of the League of Assassins who had not fled from the area now wandered towards the rubble, wondering how something so powerful could have so easily been destroyed. It was a victory for Robin and party, but a dismal failure for the League.

"That's it then," Deathstroke said. "It worked."

"Wait… where's Ra's Al Ghul," Robin said suddenly, realizing that he never saw the man exit the control room.

Deathstroke smirked. "He tripped and hit his head on his way out, he must have been trapped inside." Deathstroke's attention diverted for a moment as his peripheral vision caught sight of Grant walking away.

"Why do I not care?" Robin asked, shaking his head. Ra's deserved whatever he got, and it was not his fault that he had probably been crushed.

"Come on, we shouldn't linger here," Slade said. "We need to get to your friend's lab," he added.

"S.T.A.R.?" Barry asked with excitement. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

* * *

Deciding to act the part of the assassins they disguised themselves as, the group easily car-jacked terrified citizens. Piling into a van, Deathstroke sat at the wheel, driving towards the labs.

From the windows, Dick, Barry, and Robin stared at the rising sun. The sky filled with brilliantly colored light, giving their escape a beautiful backdrop.

"I never thought I would see it again." Dick voiced the thought on the other two's minds.

"It's beautiful," Robin added.

"Yeah… and so is my wife," Barry laughed. "I can't wait to see her. It's been so long. And I wish I could say everything was over, but… Ra's wouldn't die so easily."

"I feel weird leaving now, when the fighting is far from over," Robin said.

"You've already done more than we could have hoped for," Dick responded. "This isn't your fight, you should go home."

"I know but…"

"No butts Robin," Barry interjected. "I don't really know exactly what's been going on, but from what I can tell, you've been risking your life for people in a different universe from your own. You ended up here by accident, and completely turned the tables on the fighting between Ra's and the heroes. You deserve to go back to your, you've more than earned the right to."

* * *

As the group of six walked through the titanium reinforced doors of the Gotham S.T.A.R. Labs they attracted attention from everyone. Upon seeing two Deathstrokes, Jericho, and someone in the Ravager costume, many of the employees simply shrieked and ran. Robin heard Deathstroke chuckle in glee.

Barry led the way at this point, he and Ray were good friends, so it was only natural that he would know where his office was. As they walked through the double doors, they were greeted by a surprised and ecstatic Alfred. "Master Dick! Thank goodness you're all right!" Alfred said, rushing to Robin immediately. He put his hand on the swelling on his face, shaking his head. He abruptly paused as his attention turned to Dick.

He swallowed hard, unsure of what to say. Dick seemed equally dumbstruck. "You… you're alive?" Alfred finally asked.

"Ye…yeah, I am," Dick responded. In an uncharacteristic move, Alfred reached forward and pulled Dick into his arms, holding him tightly.

Barry, who had momentarily disappeared, returned with Ray. The scientist took in the tired group before him and smiled. "Robin, Slade," he motioned to the pair. "The machine's ready for you."

* * *

Robin and Slade stood side-by-side in the giant cylinder contraption, so similar to the one they destroyed in Jump City a mere week ago. It felt so strange that it had not really been that long; for Robin it felt as if he had been here forever, and now he was finally going home.

"All right, I'm beginning the countdown sequence," Ray announced. "Five… four… three…"

"Goodbye Robin!" Dick called.

"Good luck, sir!" Alfred seconded.

"Thanks for the rescue, man!" Barry called.

"Goodbye!" Joey waved.

"Bye!" Robin responded as the liquid in the machine began to spin.

"Two… One…"

Brilliant light surrounded them, obscuring everything else from sight. A rushing sound and feeling of compression encompassed the pair, and Robin was briefly aware of closing his eyes before everything became dark.

* * *

When Robin and Slade opened their eyes, it was to find themselves in the exact same place and machine they were in previously. Startled scientists stared at them through the glass, rushing around and shouting to each other. "Think we made it to the right place?" Slade asked.

"As long as it's not the Land of the Purple People Eaters, I think we'll be fine," Robin responded.

One of the scientists ran out, and then returned with Dr. Palmer. He took one look at the two men trapped in the cylinder like a cage, and then raced over to the control unit to open the door. Robin and Slade gratefully stepped out.

"How did you two get here?" Ray asked.

"Through the one in an alternate dimension in an alternate Gotham that we were accidentally sucked into last week," Robin explained flippantly. The events of the past week were finally settling in, and he wanted nothing more than to find a warm bed and sleep for a year.

"Wait… Robin?" Ray whispered. Robin nodded the affirmative. "What're you…?"

"Long story. Hey, do you think you could get me some clothes? As stylish as this is…"

* * *

Ray did more than provide him with clothes, he also made both Robin and Slade be checked over by physicians. Robin was grateful for their efforts until one attempted to stick him with a powerful painkiller, at which point he announced the physical 'over' and walked out to meet up with Slade.

Both dressed in scrubs and lab coats, they could easily pass for scientists, but neither would mistake the other. "Hey Slade," Robin greeted, the pair finally alone. "So… what now?" Robin questioned, realizing that Slade knew his secret ID and no longer needed his assistance.

"Now we part ways," Slade announced, much to Robin's surprise. "I learned more about you in the past five days than in the years I spent in Jump City." Robin seemed about to speak, but Slade put up his hand to stop him. "I don't mean you're identity or your appearance, I meant you, yourself. You and I are similar in many ways, but one thing I can see is that you are definitely your own person. It's about time I realized that.

"I will not use your identity against you or the people you care for Dick, and I only ask you do the same for me. I want you to know that I respect you, and that is high praise, coming from me," he added with a smirk.

"Slade… I got to know you two, to think, there's actually a human under that mask! Thank you for everything back there, I don't know if I would have made it without you," Robin said.

"Same for me," Slade acknowledged, turning to leave. He paused at the door, looking at the Boy Wonder one more time. "I'm sure we'll see each other again, Robin, we're both too ambitious to avoid each other for long. But I'll give you a head start this time. Enjoy your city."

"Goodbye Slade."

As Robin watched his sometime archenemy walk away, he suddenly realized that he no longer hated him. He thought Slade was a monster, a villain, but when it really counted, Slade did the right thing, and saved his life numerous times.

He would never forget that.

The only problem was that Slade would never forget it either.

* * *

**The End

* * *

**

**A/N: I'll be posting the epilogue shortly to tie up some loose ends and such. This chapter may have seemed rushed, but it was supposed to, to communicate to you, the reader, the stress on the characters. I hope you all enjoyed this story, it's been an amazing time for me. When I began it I never imagined it going this far and becoming so involved and detailed. For anyone wondering about what'll happen in the other dimension, I'm considering writing a sequel that finishes that up; if you're interested in me writing it, let me know.**

**Please send me a review, this is the second to last time I will ask for one for this story!**

**Till next time,**

**Sarah Shima**


	11. Epilogue

**

* * *

Doing the Right Thing**

By: Sarah Shima

* * *

**Epilogue 1:**

Dick Grayson, dressed in clean scrubs from STAR, stepped out of the taxi, the Ravager's costume in his arms. He paid the man from Ray Palmer's money, and then stood awkwardly by the gates as the car sped away.

Once he could no longer see it, he turned his attention to the towering mansion before him. He never thought he would feel so happy to see Wayne Manor again. The bundle held tightly to his pained chest, Dick punched in his security codes, and watched the gate spring open. From there he walked slowly, with a slight limp, down the long drive, his heart beating rapidly and his eyes fixated on the door.

Whoever was inside would have been alerted to the presence at the gates; there was no way to sneak into the Manor, not even through the Cave. Normally he would have vaulted over the fence, taking it at a running leap and then somersaulting over the spikes with a daredevil grin. It never ceased to put an expression of fear on Alfred's dignified features; a man who could be horrified by seeing Dick jumping over a fence when he knew that he was dodging bullets all night long. He would have loved to do that now, but his chest injuries would have made his spin off, and he would probably end up skewered on the spikes.

Either way, they would know he was here.

He used to find that fact comforting in a way. He tried to play games to evade anyone from knowing he was on the property, but by the time he got to the Manor, it was always the same; Alfred doing his best stone-faced expression with cookies or a snack. It was nice, it was… home.

He paused in his walk, immediately wondering how he and Bruce could have become so distant so quickly. He had thought about coming back, but only to see Alfred. He wanted Bruce to make the first move, but Dick now realized that if he waited too long, either he or Bruce could be dead. Stubbornness was no excuse for putting this off any longer.

He remembered with a stab of anguish, how destroyed Bruce had been in Arkham; the pain on his duplicate's face. That was unfair, those two still cared for each other, still loved each other, and because of one man, both of them had been ruined.

It had been similar for him and Bruce, only the 'man' who destroyed their relationship could be broadened to include both the Joker and Bruce. Dick would never bestow that much power in the Joker; Bruce had been the one too afraid for him to realize that he was doing the wrong thing, he had let his fear of losing a loved one make him lose that person.

Dick never really understood it before, but now he knew.

Was it because now he knew what Bruce could become with him dead? Because he had been given a rare opportunity, to see his life played out differently?

He could never be sure.

And there stood the door, a scant five yards away, and yet seeming a million miles from him. He wondered how Bruce would react to his sudden homecoming; if he would accept him or turn him away.

_Ah well, us Flying Grayson's are born to take risks,_ Dick sighed, marching ahead. The wounds on his chest, stitched as they were, still burned and sent pain throughout him, and he felt more exhausted than ever. But he would continue on, he needed to do this.

All too soon he reached the door. Sucking in a breath for determination, Dick lifted his scarred right arm to knock. Before his fist hit the wood, the double doors swung open, revealing a surprised and curious butler.

"Master Dick?" he asked incredulously. Dick looked to the left and saw that Alfred was holding a heavy vase in one hand.

"Were you going to whack me with that?" Dick asked with a grin, motioning the Alfred's domestic weapon.

Alfred set the vase down, and then stood back from the door so Dick could enter. He did so, shuffling his feet on his way. "Have you given up a life of crime-fighting for that of a nurse's assistant?" Alfred asked.

"What? Oh, the scrubs. Trust me Alfred, it's a long, long story," Dick sighed. "I was hoping to tell it to you and Bruce. Is he still asleep?" Dick asked, knowing that it was early for Bruce.

"Yes indeed." Alfred looked him over for a moment with healthy concern, taking in the visible wounds along with the gauze and tape which suggested they had been treated.

"All right then. I guess I'll get cleaned up. My room still in the same place?"

"Yes, sir," Alfred replied. "Would you care for some breakfast after you change?"

At the mention of food, Dick suddenly realized how hungry he really was. He had not eaten much while running for his life. "That would be great, Alfred." Dick made to approach the stairs, but changed his mind mid-stride. Putting down the Ravager costume, he walked up to the butler and threw his arms around him. Forgetting about the pain, he pulled Alfred to him and they embraced for a moment. Then Dick pulled away, and he could see the happiness that lit his grandfather-figure's eyes. "I'm sorry that I didn't come back sooner."

"I am just pleased to see you now. Are you back solely for a visit?" he questioned, alluding to the possibility of it involving his work with the Titans.

"Something happened to me recently that made me realize that I just can't stand the gap between me and Bruce, so I'm here to try and patch it up the best I can."

"I see," Alfred replied. "Would you like me to take a look at your wounds?" he added, proving that Alfred had not missed Dick's earlier wince of pain.

"They've already been tended to. Besides, I have a friend with a healing power who's just been dying to repay me," Dick added, thinking of Raven. "I should get out of these scrubs," Dick said, smiling at Alfred as he went up the stairs.

He threw open the door to the room he lived in for most of his life and stared in at its contents. Dick felt as if he were in a time warp walking into the room. It had not been changed at all, the same random posters adorned the walls, and everything seemed to be just where he left it, although it had been cleaned regularly.

He walked into the bathroom determined to, at the very least, wash his hair. His favorite shampoo was still on its shelf.

Upon exiting the shower, he went into the expansive closet and found some jeans and a T-shirt, his preferred non-superhero clothing. Minding his injuries, he pulled on the clothes.

He sighed, knowing that Bruce would be waking up soon, and then he would face a moment he had anticipated and dreaded for years.

* * *

As Bruce walked into the dining room for breakfast, the first thing he noticed were the three plates set out. Since only two of them lived in the house, there was no reason for three plates. And Bruce was pretty sure he had not invited anyone over.

Wandering into the kitchen, he smelled pancakes, and saw Alfred preparing a myriad of breakfast foods. He paused in the doorway, wondering why Alfred would be making Dick's favorite food. There was no way that he had come for a meal.

"Alfred, why the special meal?" he asked.

"We have company for breakfast," Alfred said, turning from Bruce.

Bruce turned from the butler, knowing he would get no more answers, and headed into the living room. He immediately spotted a small bundle lying on the floor. Reaching down to pick it up, Bruce noticed that it appeared to be a bodysuit. Unfolding it, he noticed the inside was stained with deep red blood.

He returned to the dining room as Alfred brought breakfast in, noting how the older gentleman kept glancing nervously at the doorway. Bruce's ears finally picked up the sound of footsteps on the stairs, approaching the room. The footfalls were staggered as if the person were limping. Bruce waited, and hoped his face did not display his shock as Dick Grayson walked towards him. Hair damp and hanging in his eyes, he wore jeans and simple Gotham Knights T-shirt. As he took the seat across the table from Bruce, Wayne noticed the two deep cuts on his right cheek, his swollen eye, and he saw how he put a hand to his side and winced when he sat down.

"Hi Bruce," he said with a slightly nervous grin.

"What are you doing here?" Bruce asked; his tone light, but his eyes serious.

"Just thought it was long passed time for a visit…" Dick began. He reached for the maple syrup and Bruce saw the long scratches on his arm, some partially covered by bandages and gauze.

"What happened to you?" Bruce asked.

"Long, long, story," Dick sighed. "But I suppose now's the time to tell it." He paused, collecting his thoughts, and then began. "I assume you heard about the explosion in Jump City Labs last week?" Bruce nodded. "Do you know what caused the explosion?"

"There were theories that mentioned everything from terrorism to other-dimensional beings attacking," Bruce snorted. "Nothing conclusive was released to the press."

"Well the rumors were closer than you think. They were developing a machine that using theories of temporal anomalies and shifts in the time-space continuum; something similar to the JLA transporters. What the scientists did not realize was that they had a working, viable machine on their hands. That is, until Slade and I got to it."

"Explain," Bruce said, perturbed by the last sentence Dick had said.

"I caught him breaking in, stealing chemicals. We fought, and to make a long story just a little shorter, we accidentally activated the machine. It ripped open a hole in the dimensional wall, and blew up as it sent up through."

"You… what?"

"I traveled to a near-parallel world. But in this one, everything had turned out differently. Three years ago Ra's Al Ghul had taken over a part of Gotham and began working to create his utopian society or whatever. To make a long story shorter, three years ago Ra's destroyed Batman… by killing Robin."

Bruce did not reply, and sat silently as Dick explained everything and spun his story, going from the explosion in Jump City, to the encounter with Two-Face, Jim Gordon, Arkham Asylum, and continuing through until his return to Gotham. Certain things Dick left out – being tortured to death, seeing his parents, and coming back from the dead, for instance. He also tried to keep the story short, not going into more detail than necessary, just letting him get the idea.

"It seems you had quite the experience," Bruce said, standing and turning away from Dick.

"Yeah, and it made me realize something, Bruce," Dick began, slowly rising to his feet and walking across the room to Bruce's side. "This rift between us… I never thought it would get this big. We were once closer than this; perfect partners, and now we haven't even spoken in three years. It's wrong, Bruce. And I don't want this between us anymore. I don't want to wake up one day and hear the news that Batman took a bullet and realize I let our stubbornness keep us apart."

From behind the pair, Alfred gave a secret smile of satisfaction.

"I'm not saying I want my old job back; being your partner. That's over. I live in Jump, and I like leading the Titans, that's my life now. But that doesn't mean that I want to just keep ties with Gotham severed. I lived more years here than I did in the circus, and you and Alf, you're my family. So, what do you say, Bruce, want to try and bridge this gap?"

"Dick… when I fired you… it was because I was…" Dick waited for him to continue, anticipating his words, but wanting Bruce to actually say them. "Afraid. I would rather have you hate me and be alive than to have you die. I know it was selfish, but..." he paused then, and then smiled slightly. "A whole lot of good it did me. You hated me and were still in danger."

"Bruce I can't give this up. This superhero gig has become as much a part of me as being an acrobat. It saved me from my anger and need for revenge when I was a kid, and now it's what I want to do, and what I do best. I can't quit, and I won't quit; not even for you."

"I realize that, and I won't ask you to again. It never really was my decision to make, was it?"

"Gee, now I'm wishing we had this conversation years ago," Dick sighed at the sudden understanding passing between them.

"I guess one of us needed to break the ice," Bruce said. "And I'm glad you did."

"Does this mean you want to repair what little is left of our 'relationship'?" Dick questioned with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"Yes, I do."

* * *

**Epilogue 2:**

After returning from a hard day of fighting crime, the Teen Titans were incredibly tired. Collapsing in the Main Room, the team wanted nothing more than food, and some relaxation. Cyborg looked dismally at the phone which suddenly seemed so out of reach, wishing he had the strength to grab it so he could order a pizza.

Suddenly, a pizza box dropped from the ceiling, landed flat in Cyborg's lap. He pushed it aside and leapt to his feet, his teammates doing the same. "You know, we really need to improve our security," a familiar voice laughed. At the same time, a dark figure flipped down from the rafters, somersaulting twice in the air before landing gracefully on his feet.

"R…Robin?" Cyborg demanded incredulously, viewing the person in front of him. 'Robin' stood before them, but he did not look like Robin. In his jeans and T-shirt he could have been anybody, though the dark shades had the same effect on his appearance as the mask.

"Right in one, give the man a prize!" Robin laughed. "I figured you guys would be hungry," he added, motioning to the pizza. When no one responded, Robin just looked at them questioningly. The Titans were all gaping at him, shocked.

Starfire broke the odd silence, bursting forward and pulling Robin into a bone-crushing hug. "Robin, you have returned!"

"Yeah, yeah I have," Robin responded, hugging her back. "But could you let go…" he added in deference to his injured body.

"Robin you are hurt!" Starfire exclaimed. Raven took a step forward with concern.

"Not that badly," Robin reassured, waving Raven back for the moment.

"Dude, what happened! We tried to find you, but there was all this talk about different dimensions, and how you could've ended up in some alternate reality, and a bunch of other things I don't really understand!" Beast Boy explained.

"Yeah… about that… I'll explain everything later, but first there's something important I need to share with all of you," Robin began. He gestured for everyone to sit down, which they did so obligingly, all eyes trained on him.

Folding his hands in his lap, Robin turned to his friends. "I think it's past time that I tell you all something very important to me." He reached for the sunglasses, and pulled them off in one fluid motion, revealing intense blue eyes. "My name is Richard Grayson."

* * *

**Epilogue 3:**

A stately black Bentley approached the gates of Arkham Asylum. The man at the wheel leaned towards the window, displaying his identification to the guards. They took a quick look and then nodded curtly; bored. The Bentley proceeded to the main door.

Sitting in the backseat, Dick rubbed his fingers nervously as the Bentley pulled to a stop. Alfred turned to face him from the front seat. "Are you certain you wish to go alone?" he asked with concern. The young master had only been returned to him a week ago, and Alfred worried about him.

"Yeah Alfred," Dick responded flatly as he pushed the car door open and stepped out into the sunny afternoon. He pushed agitatedly at the bandage on his head as he walked through the front doors of the asylum, a place he had only ever been to in the dead of night.

Approaching the check-in desk, Dick breathed in the smell of ammonia, a sign of a sterile environment, and felt his stomach turn. He hated being here, but he hated the idea of Bruce being locked in here even worse. He would find a way to fix that; he had to.

After signing in, he was ushered to a meeting room. The dark walls and table reminded him of Ra's Al Ghul's stronghold, and he became acutely afraid and claustrophobic. However, he forced himself to remember that he was not being locked in here; he could leave whenever he wanted to.

He closed his eyes and took in deep, steady breaths to calm and reassure himself. After what seemed like ages, the door opposite him slid open. He watched with a heavy heart as two guards brought Bruce into the room.

From across the table, their eyes met, and a spark of recognition ignited in Bruce's. Both sat stiffly as the guards exited, and then finally Dick put his full attention on Bruce. Quieting the butterflies in his stomach, he swallowed hard, and then said in a light, conversational tone,

"Hello Bruce. It's been a long time."

* * *

**The End.

* * *

**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and read my story, I had an amazing time writing it, and I am happy to have shared it with all of you. I only hope you enjoyed it as well. **

**Thank you to dlsky for including me in this challenge, it was an honor to be selected, and it was great to stretch my imagination and abilities as a writer with such a task. **

**I leave you now with these epilogues, and I hope you feel that the story has reached a conclusive end. However, Dick will return with his friends in the alternate dimension in a sequel, so be sure to keep your eyes open for its debut chapter. **

**Thank you once again, and I hope you enjoyed this work!**

**_Sarah Shima_**


	12. Lost Epilogues

**A/N: Back by popular demand... the Doing the Right Thing Epilogues!**

**Actually, I forgot to include two of the important epilogues in the last post, and then I said I was done, and then other people pointed out that it seemed to be lacking, so, not wanting to disappoint, I figured I would just post them. **

**So, once again, thank you all for reviewing, and for making me the winner of dlsky's challenge. I really enjoyed this story, and I hope you like the 'lost' epilogues. ****

* * *

Doing the Right Thing**

By: Sarah Shima

* * *

**Epilogue 4:**

Slade Wilson walked haughtily into a disguised compound in Jump City. Once passing through the warehouse outer-structure he was greeted by his right-hand man Wintergreen. The elderly gentleman smiled congenially at Slade, though his eyes revealed his surprise and relief.

"Slade, you have returned safely," he said.

"Not without considerable trouble though," Slade explained. "Change of orders Wintergreen, I want to pack up this facility and move out. We're leaving Jump City."

"But sir, what of the machine? Did you succeed in retrieving the chemicals in order for it to work?" Wintergreen questioned.

"I almost did a week ago. However, on my way here I took the liberty of snatching them from that sorry excuse for a lab," Slade laughed, proffering the box of vials from his belt and handing them to Wintergreen.

"Excellent! Now it will be fully functional."

"Wintergreen… I already told you, we're packing up this place and leaving," Slade said harshly.

"We cannot just leave the machine out; all those months of work…" Wintergreen shook his head, remembering Slade's insistence that the machine be finished quickly and efficiently. It was not like him to suddenly change plans in this manner.

"No… I want you to see to it that it is secured before we leave." Slade walked past Wintergreen and further into the complex. The older man followed him as he made towards a giant, cylindrical device which looked all-too familiar to Slade now.

"So you won't be using this to rid yourself of those Titans pests then?" Wintergreen questioned.

Slade walked up the device, putting a hand against it and remembering with a slight smile the conversation in the other Jump City.

"_What exactly were you doing in that lab Slade? What were you stealing?" Robin asked. _

_"I was stealing chemicals, the same ones that run the machine we activated."_

He then turned back to Wintergreen, a twisted grinon his usually stoic face.

"Not_ yet_."

* * *

**Epilogue 5:**

Rubble lay untouched in what had been seen by some as a vacant lot, and others as an underground base full of unimaginable terrors. The grand explosion and subsequent implosion had rocked the neighboring areas, but most were too frightened by the appearance of various known members of the League of Assassins to go near the place.

Inquisitiveness could get a person killed.

That was why no one saw the burst of brilliantly red flame that rose from beneath the debris, accompanied by an unearthly and horrifying scream of true agony and madness. The ground shook, reverberating in a set rhythm familiar to it, and the flames danced for a few moments longer before settling down into their natural home.

The dust came to rest once more, as if nothing had happened at all. But something had.

Suddenly a hand shot up through the rock and stone, disturbing the debris and casting them aside. The fingers flexed and stretched as they finally reached air, and then began working on unearthing the body they were connected to.

He had risen again.

* * *

**The End**

* * *

**A/N: It really is over this time. Review please!**

**And THANK YOU once again for reading and reviewing, I hope you enjoyed this work.**


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